Porcello: Triceps strain improving each day

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BOSTON - Rick Porcello's last start wasn't a good one - he gave up five earned runs on 10 hits in two-plus innings - but with the rough season he's been having, it didn't raise any red flags about a potential injury.

So when John Farrell announced that the team placed Porcello on the 15-day DL with a right triceps strain, it was a bit of a surprise.

It turns out that Porcello began to really feel the tightness after the second inning of that game. Already trailing 5-0 to start the third inning, Porcello went back out and gave up a 400-foot home run to Alexei Ramirez to begin the third. After allowing a double and a single to the next two batters, Porcello got the hook.

"Felt like something I could work through in that game," Porcello said on Sunday. "Just started to get a little tight. I felt like if I get back out there and warm up and loosen it up it will be fine. Then the next day when I woke up it really locked down. Every day since then it's been gradually getting better and better. Each day has been solid improvement. But they want to put me on the DL just to get out in front of it and make sure it doesn't evolve into something else trying to compensate for a tight triceps and turn into a shoulder or elbow issue."

The injury is foreign to Porcello, who hasn't dealt with injuries throughout his seven-year career until now. The good news is nobody expects Porcello to miss much time. Perhaps in a different situation - the Sox in the playoff hunt or Porcello really on his game - they'd keep him active and push his start back a few days. But with the season going the way it's gone, it makes sense to play it safe.

"I feel like I could be ready to pitch in a couple of days," Porcello said, "but [going] to take the necessary precautions, go on the DL for a little bit and make sure it's completely gone. Get ready to come back ready to go."

Porcello will stay with the team through their road trip and still plans on throwing every day and going through his normal routine while also getting treatment on the arm.

But perhaps the time away isn't such a bad thing for him or the Red Sox. As it stands, Porcello is 5-11 with a 5.81 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He has one of the highest ERAs in all of major league baseball, and hasn't had close to the season the Red Sox hoped he would after signing him to a four-year, $82.5 million extension before the 2015 season.

Porcello is doing his best to remain positive despite the poor results and now the injury.

"Obviously you don't like to struggle and that leads to negative thoughts," Porcello said. "For me, I'm just trying to get everything going, get everything in sync and get back and finish this season strong. That's it. Really try not to think about anything that's happened up to this point. There's some things that I can learn from obviously, but to dwell on the struggles and whatnot this season is counterproductive."

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