Rich Hill to resume rehab schedule with the PawSox Thursday; why Jose Iglesias was a late scratch Monday

August 20, 2012

By BRENDAN McGAIR
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET – As he walked out of McCoy Stadium Monday night, Rich Hill mapped out what the next few days will cover as far as the left reliever’s rehab schedule.
Carrying a Red Sox equipment bag, Hill mentioned that he’ll workout in Boston Tuesday and Wednesday before rejoining the PawSox Thursday in Charlotte where the primary focus will be pitching on consecutive days.
Hill’s outing Monday with the PawSox was the definition of smooth sailing. The 32-year-old required all of eight pitches (six strikes) in setting down the Rochester Red Wings in order in the seventh. Hill retired the first hitter on one pitch before striking out the next hitter – lefty Chris Parmelee – on four pitches. The final out was a grounder to second, coming on the third pitch of the sequence.
“We were trying to get him to face a challenging lefty in Parmelee and it worked out that way,” said PawSox manager Arnie Beyeler following his club’s 9-6 loss to the Red Wings.
Said Hill, who’s been sidelined since early June with an elbow strain: “Everything felt great. Just pitch with conviction, stay aggressive and that’s it.”
Asked about the dismissal of Bob McClure as Boston’s pitching coach, Hill offered, “He was great. He taught me a couple of things during spring training and we had some talks about going about the business of attacking hitters. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors wherever that might be.”
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Jose Iglesias was a full participant during batting practice Monday afternoon. About half an hour before the 7:05 first pitch, a new lineup was issued in which Iglesias’ name was omitted. The late scratch stems from Iglesias’ slide into home plate Sunday as it was clear he was favoring his left ankle later in the game.
“He had a little bruise on his leg and just didn’t feel like he could go,” was the explanation Beyeler offered.
Another member of Pawtucket’s walking wounded is J.C. Linares. According to Beyeler, the outfielder suffered a broken finger – the result of a swing Sunday in which the ball hit his right thumb.
“It’s kind of a wait-and-see deal. It could be 3-5 days or a little more than that … we’ll just see how it goes,” Beyeler said.