Red Sox's Drew Pomeranz: Starting Friday

Pomeranz will start Friday and is set to throw about 60-65 pitches against the Blue Jays, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Analysis:

Pomeranz hopes to get up to four innings Friday after leaving his previous start early due to triceps tightness. He's cutting it close to be ready for the first turn through the rotation, but the Red Sox will slot him in as the fifth starter which they will not need until the sixth game of the season, Apr. 9 in Detroit. Conceivably, he'll get another two spring outings and be ready for that game. The other option is to place him on the DL and have Kyle Kendrick fill in. From a roster-management perspective, the Red Sox would like to keep Kendrick at Triple-A Pawtucket rather than have him make one start in Boston, so they have plenty of incentive to get Pomeranz ready for the Tigers.