John Lackey to the DL

After 2 awful performances in a row, John Lackey has found himself with a stay on the 15-day DL. The official reason for the DL stint is a strained elbow, but this break hopefully be as much mental as it is physical at this point. After raising his ERA above 8 in his last outing, Lackey made reference in his post-game interview that everything in his life sucked, which raised a few eyebrows. This past winter, Lackey’s wife, Krista, was diagnosed with breast cancer, which certainly weighs heavily on a family during treatment. No one has confirmed that this is bothering Lackey or even what he was referring to in that interview, but it seems obvious to me that his head is just not in the right place at this moment, so a rest could be just what the doctor order. (more after the jump)

On the season so far, Lackey has a 2-5 record with an 8.01 ERA in 7 starts. He has allowed 35 earned runs in 39.1 innings and has just 19 Ks and 18 BBs while allowing 5 home runs this season. He is on pace for his worst professional season, but can turn it all around with a few strong outings after he returns from the DL.

Scott Atchison was called-up to fill Lackey’s spot on the roster. Tim Wakefield will start in place of Lackey for Tuesday night’s finale with the Baltimore Orioles.

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