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Left-hander Felix Doubront hoping to make up for lost time in September 08.21.11 at 8:22 am ET
By Alex Speier

Left-hander Felix Doubront is targeting a return to the Red Sox in September. (WEEI.com/John Vu)

The Red Sox have been unable to find a shutdown left-handed reliever this year. The team nearly had one in Rich Hill, who turned in one scoreless outing after another before a tear of the ulnar collateral ligament led him to have Tommy John surgery. Other than Hill, however, the team has seen pitchers such as Dennys Reyes, Tommy Hottovy, Franklin Morales, Hideki Okajima and Randy Williams flicker on and off the roster without emerging as a consistent weapon in the late innings.

Of course, the blueprint for the Sox in 2011 featured a different left-hander assuming that role. During the offseason, the team anticipated that Felix Doubront could build upon his strong 2010 campaign that saw him get his first impressive taste of the majors as both a starter and reliever by becoming an important left-handed weapon out of the bullpen. Longer-term, the Sox remained bullish on the 23-year-old’s potential to emerge as a starter, but in 2011, the team expected that he would have an opportunity to establish himself in the majors by working out of the ‘pen.

That blueprint was derailed in many ways before the season got underway. Doubront suffered elbow tightness in spring training that kept him out of most of the exhibition schedule. He had not yet built up his arm strength when he was called up in early-April, and so the Sox sent him back down to Triple-A after just a few relief appearances, feeling that it was in both his and the team’s best interests to stretch him out as a starter.

But while Doubront has pitched well in the minors this year, striking out a total of 72 batters in 73 innings, including 59 in 66 innings while forging a 3.68 ERA for Triple-A Pawtucket, his season has been a frustrating exercise in false starts. Doubront has twice suffered minor injuries at times when he was pitching well enough to position himself for a potential call-up, first tweaking his left groin in late May, then by suffering a minor hamstring injury in early July.

“That’s hard, how little things that are weak can keep you out for two weeks or a month. It’s hard. I try to not get too crazy and stay focused. That happened to me three times. I’m trying to not lose my mind over these things, just do my treatments and work out in that area to be healthy. For now, I’m trying to be healthy – that’s my goal,” Doubront said on Saturday. “I just want to pitch. I feel like I’ve got 70 innings. I’m still feeling fresh. I just want to pitch and feel my body tired. I haven’t felt like that since last year. I just want to pitch more, finish the season strong.”

Doubront said that he has used his down time to build strength for the stretch, increasing his cardio workouts while focusing on reinforcing the muscles in the parts of his body that were injured. He has been a healthy pitcher for much of his minor league career, and he believes that he will be that once again. ”

“I haven’t had in the past a lot of injuries. I just want to be strong and healthy to finish the season then start next year strong,” said Doubront. “That’s my plan.”

Of course, there remains time for Doubront to make an impact at the major league level this year as well. So long as he is healthy, he would be nearly certain to be in position to be promoted as a September call-up. Given that Morales has not taken ownership of the role of the left-handed reliever, there would still be time for Doubront to have a strong finish that could position him for a potential roster spot in the postseason.

If such a development could take place, then it would help Doubront to salvage what has otherwise been a frustrating year.

“That’s what I’m working for, to make the September call-up and do a good job to make the roster in the playoffs. That’s my goal. That’s why I’m trying to be healthy this month,” said Doubront, who said that he feels healthy and strong at this stage of the year. “Let’s see what happens.”

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  • RedSoxNation2011

    Why wait until September 1 to call up Doubrant? Morales should not be pitching in any game unless there is at least a 5 run margin. Perhaps he might come down with the Pawtuckett flu and Doubrant gets called up this week.

  • Babe Ruth Is Dead

    Morales does not have options…cannot be “sent down” unless there is a phantom injury…

  • Walt in Maryland

    I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Red Sox made a waiver deal for a lefty reliever between now and Sept. 1. Maybe someone like Breslow or Fuentes. They will keep both Youkilis, Drew and Jenks on the disabled list into September to give them more playoff roster flexibility. But I have a hard time believing Theo will be comfortable entering the post-season with only Morales and maybe Miller available as LH relievers.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... rosa torres

    Doubront should be up in Boston already!

  • Robert

    The wild card may seem to be a lock,(the Yankees will take the division) but watch out for TB.They have four quality starters with David price being the worst of the bunch.Farnsworth has been the bargain of last years FA’s.Longoria is starting to hit.If they were able to pick up an extra bat or bullpen pitcher, they could sneak up fast.

  • http://cavman.wordpress.com Steve

    Seriously? We’re .5 game back. Tampa is 8 back. Sure they could sneak up if Ortiz and Ellsbury join the rest of the DL crew. The Yankees couldn’t pull away from a depleted Sox team. They could win it, but I doubt it.

  • Bubba

    Right, Robert – The division belongs to the Yanks – there’s no way the Sox can make up a 1/2 game deficit in just a month and a half! And yet you think the Rays can move up 8 games in the same time. Silly.

  • Robert

    THE POINT IS, THE RAYS HAVE NO PRESSURE NOW. THEY HAVE FOUR VERY GOOD STARTERS,AND A GREAT CLOSER.IF THEY PICK UP A COUPLE OF PIECES, THEY COULD GET RIGHT BACK IN IT.A QUALITY SETUP MAN AND A GOOD BAT COULD DO IT. AS FOR NY,THEIR OUTFIELD IS SUPERIOR TO THE SOX IN ALL THREE POSITIONS. THE INFIELD IS PRETTY MUCH A DRAW UNLESS A-ROD RETURNS TO FORM, WHICH GIVES THEM THE EDGE. THE CATHERS ARE ABOUT EQUAL.THE SOX HAVE TWO GOOD STARTERS, THREE IF BUCHOTZ COMES BACK, WHICH IS UNLIKLY..THE YANKS HAVE SABATHIA,FREDDY GARCIA, AND NOW HUGHES. THEN THROW IN IVAN NOVA,AND ANY NUMBER OF PITCHERS WHO CAME OUT OF NOWHERE,OR GOT IT BACK BY WEARING A NY UNI AND YOU HAVE TO GIVE NY THE EDGE THERE. THE BULLPENS ARE CLOSE.THE SOX HAVE THREE GOOD ONES IN PAP, BARD, AND ACEVES,WITH WHEELER COMING BACK SOMEWHAT.THE YANKS HAVE MO, DALE ROBERTSON,SORIANO RETURNING TO FORM, AND CHRIS WADE,PLUS A COUPLE OTHERS WITH GOOD ERA’S.tHEN THERE IS THE CHANCE THAT CHAMBERLAIN COMES BACK.THE BULLPENS ARE CLOSE, BUT THE EDGE GOES TO NY. THE SOX TAKE DH AS LONG AS ORTIZ IS HEALTHY. SERIOUSLY,GRANDERSON COULD BE THE MVP OF THE LEAGUE.THE YANKEES NEVER SEEM TO LOSE. IF IT WEREN’T FOR AN EXCELENT HEAD TO HEAD RECORD FOR THE SOX VS NY, THE SOX WOULD BE SEVERAL GAMES BEHIND.THE YANKS PLAY BETTER AGAINST THE REST OF THE LEAGUE THEN DO THE SOX.ACTUALLY, HAVING THE YANKS FINISH FIRST MIGHT BE AN ADVANTAGE TO THE SOX. FOUR GAMES AT THE STADIUM FAVORS THE SOX. THEY ARE MORE RELAXED THERE THEN AT FENWAY VS NY.wITHOUT THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE BOSTON FANS, THE SOX SEEM TO PLAY BETTER THE YANKS SEEM TO PLAY BETTER AT THE FENS.THE EXPECTATIONS OF BOTH TEAMS FANS SEEMS TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON BOTH TEAMS.

  • http://Enteryourwebsite... John

    Robert,
    The Sox will win the division. Our schedule is more favorable the rest of the way. Colon and Garcia suck. Sabathia can’t beat us. Burnett’s example A on why we shouldn’t whine about Lackey. And our lineups better.
    Seriously you have to be a Yankee fan to come on here and say to look out for the Rays who are 8.5 back but we won’t catch a NY team who we just reclaimed the lead from.

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