Wells exited the game to a standing ovation and was examined by team medical director Thomas Gill in the clubhouse. Team spokesman John Blake said imaging on the knee revealed a deep contusion but ``no immediate evidence of a serious injury." Blake said Wells would undergo further diagnostic testing today.
Francona said after the game the team will give Wells every opportunity to work his way through the injury before deciding whether to place him on the disabled list.
``It's going to be tough," said Francona, ``even if everything comes back clean, which we certainly hope. He took a good shot. Any time you're working with knees that have gone through what his have, there's going to be some trauma, when you take a ball that hard directly off the kneecap."
Balls hit back at pitchers have seemingly become an epidemic for the Sox. Righthander Matt Clement was hit in the right ankle in the second inning of Wednesday's loss to the Yankees and was never the same, even though he made it through 4 1/3, allowing eight runs.
Wells had pitched well after a 41-minute rain delay at the start, holding the Devil Rays to one run, on a Carl Crawford homer (his first of two solo shots) in the fourth. He allowed five hits and had retired Damon Hollins on a ground out to open the fifth.
The Sox were hoping Wells could fill the fifth starter role as effectively as he did last season, when he won 15 games and earned $9 million in salary after achieving all of his incentives. Wells, who ranks 14th all-time in wins among lefthanders, had won his last nine decisions against the Devil Rays and was 10-1 against them lifetime with a 2.91 ERA and five complete games in 16 starts, while walking only 13 and striking out 66.
Wells had made a rehab start in Moosic, Pa., last Sunday in which he allowed two runs on four hits, a walk, and three strikeouts in a 9-3 Pawtucket win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. The Sox activated Wells last night and sent outfielder Dustan Mohr to the PawSox.
