Pomeranz's Sox debut set for Wednesday
Farrell excited to see what left-hander brings to rotation
NEW YORK -- Newly acquired left-hander Drew Pomeranz, whom the Red Sox hope provides a rotation boost in the second half, is slated to make his debut against the Giants on Wednesday at Fenway Park.
Pomeranz, acquired from the Padres for Anderson Espinoza, capped three recent trades for the Red Sox, who also added infielder Aaron Hill from the Brewers and reliever Brad Ziegler from the D-backs.
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"When you look at what we've been able to do, [it's to] address some of the apparent needs," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "As I mentioned last week, the timing of the trades has been uncanny given some of the injuries that unfortunately we've sustained of late. It's very encouraging. We feel like we've got a very special offense in place. We're looking forward to him getting in our uniform and contributing."
Farrell said Pomeranz will join the team on Saturday at Yankee Stadium, and he is set to throw a bullpen session on Sunday in the Bronx.
Pomeranz's last outing was a scoreless inning for the National League team in the All-Star Game. For the season, he's 8-7 with a 2.47 ERA while whiffing 115 batters through 102 innings.
Farrell said the lefty is excited about joining a contending team. Pomeranz departs a Padres pitching staff that entered Friday with a 4.57 ERA, the eighth highest in the Major Leagues.
Pomeranz has played for the Rockies, A's and Padres during his big league career, making the 27-year-old familiar with switching from the NL to the American League. The Red Sox hope Pomeranz will be an anchor in an inconsistent rotation.
"This is a starter that we felt we needed to complement the guys that are here, improve our starting rotation," Farrell said. "It's been interesting to see how Drew has evolved from last year to this year just with his pitch mix and his usage overall."
Much like Hill and Ziegler, one of the factors that attracted the Red Sox to Pomeranz was his experience in the Major Leagues. Farrell said his age and the number of times he's been traded allows the team to worry less about getting the southpaw adjusted to Boston.
Pomeranz's transition may be slightly affected by the Green Monster in left field at Fenway. However, it's important to note that the pitcher's delivery will remain unaltered.
"Someone asked me a question today, 'How do you talk with a guy coming into Fenway for the first time?' Because of the wall, it's not that we're going to change his style or approach," Farrell said. "Sometimes the wall gives and it takes away. More importantly, we've got a very good pitcher and [I'm] looking forward to getting him in the mix."
Red Sox slugger David Ortiz gave all the credit to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski for Pomeranz's acquisition.
"You guys know Dave. Dave doesn't play around. He goes for what he needs, and this is the second half. There's not another half after this one," Ortiz said. "I'm pretty sure he's going to keep on moving the line."
Deesha Thosar is a reporter for MLB.com based in Boston. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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