Drew Pomeranz took a big step towards making a return to the Red Sox rotation on Wednesday by throwing a two-inning simulated game at Fenway Park. It went so well that he's tentatively scheduled to make a rehab start with Triple-A Pawtucket on Monday.
"I just wanted to go out there and feel good, we've been working on some things during my time off and I felt right where I wanted to be," Pomeranz said afterwards.
One of the bigger things that has been worked on is having his arm go faster in his delivery, which manager Alex Cora noted was there when he threw to a few hitters.
"He looked better," Cora said. "His arm looked faster. Mechanic-wise, very close to who he was last year. See how he bounces back tonight and we'll go from there."
The Red Sox hope the increased arm speed will lead to an uptick in his velocity. Pomeranz was hovering in the high-80s with his fastball before the DL-stint, which likely is the main reason for his 1-3 record and 6.81 ERA so far this year.
"That is the goal, but I think it goes back to mechanics," Cora said. "And now, I don't know if you saw, today his arm was a lot quicker. I think over the course of the season it was a lot slower than last season. If he cleans up his mechanics and now he has the confidence he's healthy. It's not that he wasn't, but now after a long layoff he comes back. You could see it today, his body and energy towards the plate. I think that is going to spike up, which is going to be great for him.
"We all know, and everybody talks about it here, if he's 92-93 he's a great pitcher. At 88-89, he's OK. He did an outstanding job last year for this team. I saw him a few times and his stuff, from that side, it is tough to pick up. ... Hopefully that happens and he can dominate."
With Steven Wright being placed on the disabled list Wednesday, it would be beneficial if Pomeranz can return to the rotation sooner rather than later.
