Junichi Tazawa News

Andrew Bailey is back from the disabled list, leaving the Red Sox' bullpen in the best shape its been in all season.

Bailey, who has been out of action since April 29 with a right biceps strain, struck out two batters and allowed one run in an inning of work during a rehab appearance with Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday night.

The Red Sox were in command from the start, pounding out 11 hits, and Boston starting pitcher John Lackey silenced the Minnesota bats.

Less than a week ago it seemed as if the Red Sox's 20-8 start was a fluke. Their bats were stagnant, their bullpen was hobbled and their starting pitching was only reliable three out of five days.

Will Middlebrooks had a three-run double off closer Fernando Rodney with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Boston Red Sox past the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Thursday night.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A bases-loaded double by Will Middlebrooks in the ninth inning off Tampa Bay closer Fernando Rodney vaulted the Red Sox to 4-3 win over the Rays Thursday night.

Boston shouldn't be without their stopper for much longer, as he's headed out on a short rehab assignment.

With the Red Sox suffering through a frustrating slide and the bullpen being bit by the injury bug, there has been some retroactive second-guessing of the decision to let Jonathan Papelbon walk.

Although they are an ugly 2-8 in their last 10 games, the Red Sox are off to a good start in 2013, at least by recent franchise standards.

"The Simpsons" has provided countless classic moments over the years, but few are better than Lisa rejecting Ralph Wiggum on video and Bart pausing to note, "You can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half." Red Sox fans can only hope the uninspired stretch that has seen them drop from first to third in the AL East - and included ... (more)

Your fantasy team might be limping into mid-May, but there is help on the way. Some of the biggest early disabled list players are candidates to return this week.

With an open date on Monday as the Red Sox head south to face the Tampa Bay Rays, manager John Farrell said it made sense to schedule the series finale with the Blue Jays as an off day for David Ortiz to get the slugger off his feet for a couple days.

If timing is everything in life, Junichi Tazawa's could not have been worse than it was yesterday, when he gave up a game-winning, solo home run to Toronto's Adam Lind in the top of the ninth of a 2-2 game, blowing another strong effort by Clay Buchholz and coming only a few hours after the Sox' original closer, Joel Hanrahan, announced he was done ... (more)

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan needs season-ending surgery on his right forearm, which will require a recovery time of six to nine months.

Adam Lind hit a tiebreaking homer off Boston closer Junichi Tazawa leading off the ninth inning to lift the Toronto Blue Jays to a 3-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday.

A two-run rally by the Red Sox in the bottom of the eighth was wasted in the ninth, when Junichi Tazawa allowed a leadoff home run by Adam Lind to break the 2-2 tie and lead to a 3-2 Blue Jays victory this afternoon.

The Toronto Blue Jays' J.P. Arencibia and Adam Lind congratulate each other after beating the Boston Red Sox in their MLB American League baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts May 11, 2013.

At the beginning of the week, some dumbass said effectively "Sure, the Red Sox just got swept by Texas, but who cares, especially with the lowly Twins coming to town?" Because we can't have nice things, the Sox dropped three of four to those Twins, and now sit percentage points behind the inexplicable Yankees in the AL East.

Playing nine innings while hoping Jack Morris and Dirk Hayhurst are overwhelmed by guilt when Clay Buchholz inevitably gets a sunburn ... 1. Despite the mildly amusing, hopefully harmless bullfrog-'n'- resin controversy, I have complete faith that Buchholz, should he remain healthy, will perform as a legitimate ace for the Red Sox all season.

If you play in a highly-focused league with daily changes, there's a good chance you missed out on this week's pair of newly-minted closers.