The Red Sox also designated struggling left-hander Hideki Okajima for assignment.

General manager Theo Epstein announced the moves after Boston beat Detroit Thursday night. He says Millwood’s deal is contingent on the right-hander passing a physical.

Millwood opted out of a minor league contract with the Yankees on May 1. He will start out in Fort Myers, Fla.

The Red Sox will give the Rockies a player to be named or cash for the left-handed Morales.

Starters John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka both went on the DL this week with right elbow strains.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

What has Heyman heard about John Lackey  and his DL stint for an “elbow strain”? Is this an actual physical problem or are the Sox manipulating the system to get Lackey a mental rest?

With Lackey on the DL, Tim Wakefield aging and Dice-K topping out at 87 mph on the gun, do the Sox actually have to look for a starting pitcher?

And, how about those Yanks? What does Heyman think of the Posada-Jeter vs management mess?

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[audio_link url="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d0/dX/dO/dP/dC/XOPC_3.MP3" name="Jon Heyman: Sox Biggest Questions Are 4th And 5th Starters" artist="Gresh and Zo"]

Matsuzaka did not record an out in the third inning, allowing seven runs off eight hits to the struggling Tampa Bay Rays. He has now allowed 10 runs in seven innings off 14 hits in two starts this season.

Read: Rays Romp Red Sox 16-5

“I talked to a scout who said his stuff has ‘disappeared,’” Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Gresh & Zolak on Tuesday. “He is what he is now, which is a number five starter.”

Matsuzaka has frustrated the team and fans for years now, compiling 283 walks and giving up 551 hits in 592.1 innings. The one thing he has lacked most is consistency, following up horrendous outings with gems, and vice-versa.

Now the question is “what do the Red Sox do with Dice-K?”

“I’d give him more time,” Heyman said. “Whether it be his way (with no pitch count) or their way. We’re still in mid-April, and he’s been better than some. I’d give him a few more starts.”

Listen: Gresh & Zo: Jon Heyman: “A Scout Said Dice-K’s Stuff Has Disappeared”

A trade is unlikely, since Matsuzaka has a no-trade clause and is signed through next season. He cannot be optioned to the minors, so could a move to the bullpen be in the cards? Matsuzaka could eat up innings as a long reliever and be available for a spot start.

Listen: Toucher & Rich: Chip Buck On The Struggling Sox Rotation

The Red Sox do have options if they elect to move Matsuzaka to the bullpen. Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Alfredo Aceves both have experience as starters and could step in to the back end of the rotation.

Matsuzaka’s next start is slated for Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays. It will be interesting to see how short his leash is, or if he can follow up Monday night’s pounding with a decent outing.

One thing is certain when Matsuzaka takes the mound, you can never predict what you are going to get.

- The Red Sox set their starting rotation for the start of the 2011 season, which is now less than two weeks away! Jon Lester gets the season opener, followed by John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka. Now Terry Francona just needs to figure out who is in, and out, of the bullpen.

- The Bruins have lost five of  their last six as they head towards the NHL playoffs. They are still a three-seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to their lead in the Northeast Division. The B’s continue to struggle on the power play, going one for their last 16. Milan Lucic told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Gresh and Zo that Claude Julien shouldn’t be the only one catching heat for the team’s recent struggles.

- The Celtics are also slumping, dropping four of their last six. They sit a half-game behind the Chicago Bulls for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The good news is Delonte West has returned, and Shaq is now traveling with the team on their current road trip. The Big Diesel could return to the court as early as the middle of next week.

After the team’s 92-80 win over the Pacers on Wednesday, Head Coach Doc Rivers sang praise for Captain Paul Pierce, who some around the NBA do not see as a very athletic player.

Doc Talks About Paul Pierce’s Athleticism [worldnow id=5672326 width=320 height=240 type=video]

- The NFL is in the middle of a lockout, but former Patriot Jarvis Green stopped by 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich Thursday morning. One of the most interesting topics they covered was what the defensive end couldn’t do with the Patriots in regards to media and endorsements. Check out the full interview here.

Jarvis Green Talks About Restrictions With The Pats With Toucher & Rich

Download: jarvis-green-on-patriots.mp3|title=Jarvis%20Green%20On%20Patriots|artists=Toucher%20and%20Rich

- The professionals are not the only ones in action this weekend. Here is the schedule for all the High School Championships being held on Saturday and Sunday. Good luck to all the kids!

- If you haven’t already, check out Mayhem Live during all the NCAA basketball games. It is an live, interactive online show for all the college hoops fanatics. 

- In college hockey, Boston College will play Merrimack in the Hockey East championship Saturday night. The college hockey selection show is on Sunday, so NCAA fans will have another bracket to fill out.

- There’s another all-star lineup slated for Sports Final on WBZ-TV Sunday night at 11:35 p.m. Cedric Maxwell will talk about the Celtics road trip, Bob Beers will chat about the Bruins power play woes and Steve DeOssie breaks down the NFL Lockout.

- Be sure to check out our Photos of the Week. Shaq may not be playing, but he is keeping busy with a bunch of community events.

Lackey pitched into the sixth inning Thursday, leading the Boston Red Sox to an 8-5 victory over the New York Mets.

The right-hander gave up a run and five hits in 5 1-3 innings. He walked one, hit a batter and struck out two. It was the first walk and hit batter Lackey has allowed in 15 2-3 innings this spring.

“I thought today he dialed it up a notch,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. “You can see it’s getting closer to the start and he’s starting to smell it.”

Lackey threw 78 pitches, 46 for strikes.

“Felt I had pretty good arm strength, a lot better than last time,” Lackey said. “Though I didn’t locate as well as last time.”

John Lackey Talks About His Spring Training 

Download: lackey-talks-spring-training.mp3|titles=John%20Lackey%20talks%20about%20his%20spring|artists=Jonny%20Miller%20WBZ%20NewsRadio%201030

Read: Red Sox Rotation Set: Lackey Gets Game 2, Home Opener

Lackey Talks Rotation, Home Opener 

« | »

Earlier in the day, manager Terry Francona revealed Boston’s pitching rotation. Lackey comes after Jon Lester, followed by Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon had another difficult appearance. He faced seven batters, recording just two outs, as he gave up four runs on two hits, two walks, and a hit batter.

“I still feel very locked in,” Papelbon said. “I’m just a tick off in my mechanics. I’m not searching. I know exactly where I am. I can feel it in my delivery. For me it’s not a big deal at all. A minor detail for me.”

Jonathan Papelbon Talks About His Mechanics 

Download: papelbon-talks-about-his-struggles-against-mets.mp3|titles=Papelbon%20Talks%20ABout%20His%20Mechanics|artists=Jonny%20Miller%20WBZ%20NewsRadio%201030

Mets left-hander Jonathon Niese went five innings, giving up five runs — four earned — on seven hits and a walk. He had seven strikeouts.

Victimized by two errors and some sloppy fielding, Mets manager Terry Collins thought Niese pitched better than his line showed.

“He threw the ball very, very well,” Collins said. One inning, (Nate) Spears hit the ball hard. The (fielders) were probably playing a little too deep on (Jacoby) Ellsbury and Carl (Crawford) just hit one where nobody could catch it. But, I thought he threw the ball great.”

Niese, who threw 86 pitches, 57 strikes, will likely get to 100 pitches in each of his next two spring training starts before starting the regular season.

“I’m very, very happy (with where he is),” Collins said. “I thought there’s a couple things we’re going to work on that he needs to do. But I was very happy with the way he threw the ball. I think he’s right where he wants to be. He’s going to get to 100 pitches probably in two more starts, and I think he’ll be ready.”

Carl Crawford and Jed Lowrie each had two hits for Boston, and Drew Sutton hit a two-run homer.

Justin Turner went 2 for 2 with a run scored and three RBIs for the Mets.

John Lackey will get the start April 2nd against the Rangers in the second game of the season, followed by Clay Buchholz, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Listen: Zolak & Roche discuss the Red Sox Rotation

This will set Lackey to pitch against the New York Yankees April 8th in the Red Sox home opener, with Buchholz and Beckett also going against the Yankees.

Buchholz will conclude the opening series against the Rangers, with Beckett, Matsuzaka and Lester pitching in the Sox three-game set in Cleveland against the Indians.

“I’m not real concerned about anybody in camp. We want to leave camp healthy and guys feeling good about themselves,” manager Terry Francona said.

Matsuzaka will get another shot to turn things around against the Detroit Tigers Tuesday afternoon. It will be his fourth start of the spring, and things can only go up from his first three.

Matsuzaka has allowed 11 earned runs off 12 hits in just 8.2 innings pitched. His ball-to-strike ratio is not terrible, 50 of his 78 pitches have been strikes, but teams are swinging away against him.

Read: Dan Roche: Do Not Pay Attention To Spring Stats

After going two innings and allowing just one run in his spring debut against the Twins, Matsuzaka has struggled mightily in his last two outings. He gave up seven runs to the Marlins and another five against the Rays giving him a 13.50 ERA for the two games.

The way the Red Sox look at it, spring is a time to work things out. It’s better to get shellacked in the March than in April, May and especially September and October.

Listen: Gresh & Zo: Jon Heyman Talks Sox On The Trading Block

“I haven’t looked at anybody’s ERA,” Francona said. “I know Daisuke got hit around a bit the other day, but if we took Daisuke out of the rotation tomorrow, I wouldn’t want to play for me. We have to let these guys get ready.”

Francona is known for sticking with his players, but does have options if Matsuzaka was to fall out of the rotation. Alfredo Aceves started Monday night against the Yankees, hurling three innings of one run ball. He has allowed four earned runs over 10.1 innings, but the Sox are most likely to use him out of the bullpen to start the season.

How long Aceves stays there could be up to Matsuzaka.

Sort of.

Manager Terry Francona announced Josh Beckett will start the Grapefruit League opener on Sunday against the Minnesota Twins. Clay Buchholz will follow out of the bullpen.

Daisuke Matsuzaka will start n Monday night’s game against the Twins.

“It’s the Mayor’s Cup so we had to stack it a little bit,” Francona joked of the spring rivalry with the Twins.

Read: Heyman: Sox To Pick Up Tito’s Options

Francona also said on Tuesday that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez took 30 more swings off a tee, as he comes back from offseason shoulder surgery. Gonzalez was cleared to begin swinging a bat on Monday, and will have the option to take Wednesday off or swing for the third day in a row.

Read: Gonzalez Cleared To Swing

Francona said closer Jonathan Papelbon was not on the field Tuesday because of the flu. Papelbon missed the team’s workout on Sunday to tend to his wife, who was sick at the time. Papelbon was not feeling well Monday, but was able to make it through his side session.

This could be a keeper picture if the Sox go out and have a special year.

Let's hope the good is catching.

So, somebody forgot to tell the Red Sox that April counted this year. Since their 4-9, heart attack and ulcer inducing start, the Sox are 22-12 and have started to make Theo Epstein Look really really good. They are hitting (which was everyone’s fear) at a greater clip than last year, ranking second in home runs and, most importantly to Theo, fourth in OPS and OBP. David Ortiz, after his horrible April (he really didn’t know that it counted), is hitting .359 in May and has 8 homers in the month. I know I keep harping on this fact, but I am super happy about it and since the start of Spring Training, the status of David Ortiz and his (sometimes) mighty bat has been one of the turning points of the season. If he is going good, then the team is hot; if he’s on a down swing, there is nobody to truly fear in the middle of the lineup (he’s hitting third tonight for the first time in about a year). Then again, with Youk treating the baseball like it’s the guy who hurt his little sister lately, there is definitely reason to fear the Beard That Should Not Be.

You will fear this man.

The bats are nice, but what it will really come down to for this year’s Sox is the pitching. Most specifically, the starters. The past two weeks, a string of games against teams at or close to the top of their respective decisions, has finally seen this group deliver on the promise of their collective histories. The starters have gone 6-1 and the team is 7-2 against Minnesota, New York, Philly and Trampa. Lester and Buchholz are making like Koufax and Drysdale, shutting down everyone they meet with impunity (even showing us the definition of effectively wild last night). The one (healthy) guy who hasn’t held up his end of the bargain is the new guy, the $82.5 million dollar John Lackey. After seeing sixteen innings of shutout ball from Matsuzaka and Wake, the fifth and six guys in the rotation), it’s time for Lackey to pretend someone on the Rays insulted Texas and show that he’s not the guy that should step out of the rotation when Beckett decided that he’s angry and ready to pitch again.

This ain’t southern f#$%ing California and we need to see the angry bulldog we thought we were getting when Lackey came to town. Get your ass in gear.

Oh, remember who has two thumbs and loved Beltre from the beginning. This guy. (I say as I give myself two big thumbs up).

Go Sox.

Done.

THE ROTATION

I love good pitching, particularly if the starter takes the ball and doesn’t like to give it up, i.e the proverbial horse. From my perspective, the Big Three – Josh Beckett, John Lester, and huge off-season acquisition John Lackey – all possess this characteristic. They’re also all nasty and a joy to watch when they’re at the top of their game. I might even put a wager on Lester winning the Cy Young Award this year. Enough said on the Big Three.

I do worry about the state of the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation. Clay Buchholz will sink or swim this year, it’s that simple. I fear the sinking option, because there’s not a lot in the cupboard if he can’t be a dependable back-of-the-rotation option.

It sounds crazy, but the Junichi Tazawa end-of-season injury is big trouble – Based on his performance with the Sox last year, I would’ve projected him to be a useful call-up for the Sox throughout the season as a spot starter and middle reliever. Beyond Tazawa, there’s not a lot of help at Pawtucket (AAA).

Daisuke Matsuzaka is clearly an enigma, bordering on a big problem, at this point. His psyche is muddled at best – He’s got the big contract, he’s had major league success and World Baseball Classic success in 2009 for his native Japan, yet he’s clearly at a physical crossroads in his career. He needs to dedicate himself to optimal conditioning. He’s also arguably the biggest baseball star from Japan in the big leagues at this point, yet he may be pitching at Pawtucket for a while before the Sox trust him enough to put him in the rotation. That can’t sit well with Matsuzaka.

In other words, his head’s spinning. What’s not spinning enough are his pitches – He still nibbles too much and torpedoes his outings with ill-advised walks and long innings that render him a six-inning pitcher. Part of the problem is cultural, but part of it – growing into a greater slice of the pie by the day – may be the large disconnect between his superstar status in some corners of the world, and his subpar performance as a major league pitcher over the past 12-16 months or so.

Let’s hope this disconnect can be resolved before it’s too late. Matsuzaka has the talent to be a strong third or fourth starter. He also has three years left on his six-year, $52 million contract (Incentives take it to $60 million), with $10 million salaries in 2011 and 2012. Ouch.

Tim Wakefield is a luxury the Sox have benefitted from for years now. I wonder how much longer his usefulness trumps the fact that he gets injured every year and his primary pitch – the knuckleball – leaves him exposed against certain lineups and at certain times of the year. Wakefield is an asset for any staff – He eats innings and is occasionally dominant. But He may be more useful in the bullpen at this point in his career. How Jason Varitek and Victor Martinez work with Wakefield this year will also be interesting to watch.

There could be some interesting fallout this year as the Sox and Terry Francona juggle their six starters for five spots approach. I don’t agree with the notion of a six-man rotation, but an extra starter could be useful during certain portions of the season, so that the Big Three are fresh for the playoff chase.

Up next: The bullpen.

This is a real picture of Daisuke Mastuzaka pitching to Major League Hitters.

I swear to Vishnu that there was a ghost on the mound at City of Palms park yesterday. It looked like Daisuke Matsuzaka, but I was pretty sure he died last spring when he refused to admit that he had suffered a severed head and collapsed five innings and 7000 pitches after suffering the injury. Either way, the 18 game winner from 2008 has not been seen since and whatever that was on the mound yesterday was not the guy that the Red Sox paid $102 million for after the 2006 season. Was it?

Daisuke made his spring debut yesterday, three weeks late, and threw two innings, giving up a run on two hits. He did not tell the team (as far as we know) about any further maladies beyond the neck and back which have kept him off the mound this season. This is becoming a running joke about Matsuzaka, who never panned out to be the wonder that he was supposed to when he came over, but not a good one. The Sox should have the deepest and best rotation in baseball this season, but with the questions about Dice, there is less certainty that the sixth man will be there when the team inevitably needs him due to injuries or ineffectiveness in the other five starters.

God Bless the Knuckler.

Fortunately, the Sox have Tim Wakefield pitching well to back up the three aces of Beckett, Lester and Lackey. Timmay, who turns 78 years old this year, has actually been the Sox’ most consistent pitcher this spring, leading the club in innings. They also have three days off in the first two weeks of the season (goddammit) and can go without a fifth starter until April 18. Then there is Buchholz, who made huge strides last season but hasn’t been great this spring and is a wild card in this whole situation.

Can we say that I am worried? Yeah, I’d go there, but I really have no clue what it will look like once they line up for real on Easter Sunday and play some real, meaningful baseball. There are too many questions at this point, even with Dice-K being the least of them. How is Pedroia’s wrist? Will David Ortiz spend the first two months of the season rotting next to the plate? Will the new guys hit? When does Adrian Gonzalez get here?

What I do know is that Beckett, Lester and Lackey will be there and all of them are horses. Beckett will start on the 4th and Pedroia will be in the lineup. Theo, Tito, and the brain trust at 4 Yawkey way will make something happen, as they always do, and when October rolls around I’ll be missing sleep and messing up at my job because Bud Selig Starts ballgames at the latest possible hour so that children can’t watch. That’s right. Bud Selig hates children.

At least it’s not snowing…..(getting up to go look out the window)…… Shit!

Go Sox.

Done.

Pitching was once believed to be the Red Sox's strenghts now is one of their biggest weaknesses

This one's for you, Some Chick.

Well, I got screwed last night when Blake Griffin (who is a black ginger, by the way. Does that mean he still has no soul?) and Oklahoma beat Syracuse, who I had in the Final Four, and defending champs Kansas got knocked out by Michigan State. That leaves me in 11th place and embarrassingly behind MN Preacher, just when I had a really good joke about the fact that Jesus must not care about his picks.

Buchholz won’t make a lot of waves in his return to the fantasy baseball player pool, not until he has a dominant outing anyway. Keeper leaguers should be on red alert, as there is a lot of incentive to buy into him early. With manager Terry Francona implying that this is a permanent move, Buchholz will have every opportunity to hit the ground running again in Boston. 

The 23-year old was placed on the disabled list on May 14 with a broken nail on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He was activated on May 25 and sent to Pawtucket on a rehab assignment, where he has been ever since.

He has made nine Triple-A starts, going 4-2 with a 2.47 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 43.2 innings. Buchholz was touched up in his last start, giving up five runs in five innings in a loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, but was otherwise dominant in his last handful of outings.

In eight starts with Boston, Buchholz was erratic but showed flashes of brilliance. He struck out better than a batter per inning and had a 1.04 ERA in three home starts, but struggled on the road with an 8.64 ERA and .318 opponents batting average.

With that information in mind, our recommendation would be to take a flier on Buchholz, if you have the roster flexibility to do so. Give him a start or two to get his bearings before trusting him in your active lineup. Monitor his starts closely and use extreme discretion when he is due to pitch on the road.

As for Masterson, his fantasy value will be limited when he returns to Boston as a reliever. He did prove himself worthy of a big league roster spot, though, and should provide a nice lift to the Red Sox’s ‘pen.

Dustin Hockensmith is editor of ImaginaryDiamond.com. He can be contacted at dhockensmith[at]fantasysports101.net.