More on Lackey's Injury


If you saw the pitch on television, you know just how ugly the situation looked on the 5th inning pitch John Lackey (pictured) threw to Jose Reyes. After missing badly inside to Reyes, Lackey immediately recoiled in obvious pain, clearly uttered an obscenity, and the first thought in everyone's head was his surgically repaired right elbow (Lackey underwent Tommy John surgery following the 2011 season). The first sign that it wasn't a recurrence of the elbow problem was when Lackey grabbed his right bicep muscle.

Following the game, Red Sox manager John Farrell told the media his pitcher had suffered "a strained right bicep. He felt kind of a cramping sensation. Obviously we took him out immediately. But once he was in the clubhouse here, he iced it down [and] that cramping went away. The strength test, at least in the training room, showed to be positive in terms of full strength. But we're going to get him back [to Boston] and get a full exam, likely tomorrow."

For his part, Lackey told reporters after the game that it was "pretty frustrating, a little scary when it happened for sure." When asked how his arm felt he replied, "It's sore. But hopefully not too serious." With regard to his right arm dangling as he left the field, Lackey explained, "My hand didn't go numb or anything like that like I've had with the elbow stuff. It was pretty much right in the belly of the bicep."

Making his first start since September 2011, Lackey appeared to be in good form with 8 strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work while throwing 51 of his 76 pitches for strikes.

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