With Darnell McDonald coming off of the DL today, they Red Sox had to demote somebody to AAA. Their choice was a surprising one as they sent fifth starter Daniel Bard down. Bard has had a shaky time adjusting to starting all year, but it all caught up to him in a horrible start on Sunday. In that start he lasted just 1.2 innings, walking six and allowing five runs in a 5-1 loss to the Blue Jays. While his season stats aren't awful at 5-6/5.24/34, he's had serious control issues all year-- walking 6.04 per nine innings. It was thought that Bard may move to the bullpen, but they obviously want the Bard experiment to continue without causing damage to the team. Either Daisuke Matsuzaka or Aaron Cook will probably take Bard's place in the rotation for the next few weeks until he's ready to go again. Darnell McDonald will provide some depth to the outfield that has been depleted by injuries this year. McDonald was having a brutal season to start the year at .179/2/8 and while he generally can at least provide a decent bat against lefties-- he has only batted .185/1/5 this year. This is an interesting move for the Red Sox, but I guess they're serious about the Bard Experiment.
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