FORT MYERS, Fla. - An MRI of Josh Beckett's lower back showed no disk damage, the Red Sox said yesterday, but persistent discomfort in the area would appear to make it highly improbable that the ace will be ready to pitch the season opener against the Athletics March 25 in Tokyo.
"I was a lot more optimistic yesterday than I am today," said Beckett, who spent the morning receiving treatment in the trainer's room at City of Palms Park after a restless night caused by the discomfort in his back.
There's a chance that neither of the team's top two starters will be available for the first two games in Japan. Daisuke Matsuzaka's wife, Tomoyo, is expecting the couple's second child, and while manager Terry Francona expressed optimism that the timing may be such that Matsuzaka will be able to pitch - the baby is due March 19 - he also made it clear Matsuzaka has the club's permission to miss the start if circumstances warrant.
"There's nothing we have to come to a determination on today," general manager Theo Epstein said yesterday in Port St. Lucie, where the Sox and Mets played to a 1-1, 10-inning tie. "We'll just have to see how things play out over the next few days. We'll have two starting pitchers for the trip, we just don't know who they are yet."
Beckett has pitched just twice this spring, two innings against Boston College Feb. 28, then three innings in a B game against the Minnesota Twins last Monday. He was scheduled to pitch this past Saturday against the Marlins, but he felt back spasms after throwing his first warmup pitch and landing on some loose dirt, according to pitching coach John Farrell. Beckett left after throwing five more warmup pitches.
Beckett was encouraged by how his back felt when he came to the ballpark Sunday morning, but he was experiencing considerably more soreness yesterday. He said there was some discussion about an injection to reduce the inflammation but doctors ruled it out because they couldn't pinpoint the location of the problem.
"They basically told me that they couldn't find a spot to put the shot in there," he said.
"We've done a number of tests. There's nothing wrong with the disks, and I think that's what they wanted to make sure of. It's definitely a strained muscle or pulled muscle, whatever you want to call it. It heals when it heals."
Beckett said he expected to undergo more treatment this morning and did not know when he would be able to resume throwing.
"We're going to make sure it's completely pain-free," he said. "I can't even, really, if lying in one position too long, or sitting in one position too long or standing in one position too long, it kind of goes backwards. I've got to keep moving and stuff like that."
