FanHouse

It's pretty amazing that for all the time spent discussing pitch counts, mechanics and proper rest between outings something simple like a broken nail can throw the best laid plans off track. That's what happened to Clay Buchholz who went onto the disabled list today with that very injury. It's the middle finger of his right hand and contributed mightily to his struggles in Minnesota on Monday night.

The team recalled outfielder Jonathan Van Every to take Buchholz's place because the pitcher isn't the only guy ailing right now. J.D. Drew sprained his wrist on a dive in the field last night and Coco Crisp was felled by an upset stomach during the game as well. Drew didn't break anything and Crisp should be okay but the team needs an extra player just to be on the safe side.

To top it all off, Terry Francona missed last night's game and will miss this afternoon's contest with Baltimore because of his mother-in-law's death. This recent spell of bad luck, and concurrent three game losing skid, finds the Sox a half-game behind the Rays in the AL East. Nothing too drastic has gone wrong, of course, but the team could use a good outing from Jon Lester to help clear the black cloud from above their head.