Down on the farm …

Bartolo Colon – AAA Pawtucket

Well, the not so svelte Colon seems to be throwing well. He went 5 innings, threw 74 pitches and allegedly touched 94 on the radar gun (unfortunately, the Gameday on the minor league site does not have the detailed pitch info of the major league Gameday). This is a good sign for Colon, but you have to wonder if he can maintain this; after all he is 34 and is “rotund.”

Justin Masterson – AA Portland

Masterson had a nice outing as well. He went 4 innings, gave up 3 hits, no walks, 3 ks and no runs. Not bad. I think we may see him by the end of the year if he keeps this up.

Chris Province – A Greenville

Seen as a reliever in the majors, Province is expected to get some starts this season and he had one last night. His 2008 debut was very nice – 5 IP, 2 Hits, 0 BB, 3 Ks, and 1 unearned run. Province was followed by Daniel Bard who went 1 inning. A first round pick in 2007 out of North Carolina, Bard has been converted to a reliever for 2008. Keep an eye on him as well, his 1.55 million dollar signing bonus puts some pressure on the Sox to advance him.