ATLANTA — One of the perks accorded starting pitchers is the opportunity to travel ahead of the team on getaway day so they can get a full night of sleep before pitching.
As he packed up Tuesday afternoon, Steven Wright marveled at the idea that he would be flying back to Boston alone to get ready for his start against the Braves on Wednesday. The Red Sox even arranged a car to take him to the airport.
“I’m not used to this,’’ he said. “It’s kind of nice.’’
Wright has been a plugger throughout his career, a pitcher willing to fill any role to stay on the major league roster. Before this season, he had more relief appearances (15) than he did starts (11) over three seasons.
Now the knuckleballer is invaluable. Wright has a 1.40 earned run average in his three starts and has given the Red Sox 19? innings.
Wright is making up for an opportunity he was denied last season. He joined the rotation July 20 and made five starts, going 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA. The Sox planned to keep Wright starting until he suffered a concussion in a batting practice accident Aug.?12 and missed the remainder of the season.
“I thought about that a lot. I probably would have made another six or seven starts and that would have been huge for me,’’ Wright said. “That was the most frustrating thing for me. Whether I would have stayed in the rotation or not, I had an opportunity to pitch in the big leagues.’’
Wright was hit in the head by a batted ball while running sprints in the outfield in Miami. The concussion symptoms lingered for months and required repeated trips to see a specialist.
“I kept thinking about what I would have done differently. But it was a freak thing and there wasn’t anything I could have done to prevent it,’’ Wright said. “But that was last year. I’m just trying to concentrate on my next start.’’
At a time when the rotation has been inconsistent, the 31-year-old Wright has been stable.
“He picked up where, unfortunately, the interruption came along,’’ manager John Farrell said. “I love his attitude toward pitching. He comes to spring training without a defined role and in his own words, ‘I hope to make the decision tough on you.’
“And, you know what? You keep giving him the ball and he keeps doing a great job. I’d hate to think in the early going where we’d be without him. He’s pitched deep; he’s pitched effectively; he’s saved out bullpen. He’s just done a very good job.’’
Wright has adapted well to his new routine. He has set days to work out and feels stronger as a result. He has thrown 116 or more pitches twice already this season.
“When I get on the mound, I feel great,’’ Wright said. “That’s the difference between starting and relieving. You know when you’ll pitch and you can get ready.’’
Rehab on track
Triple A Pawtucket was rained out Tuesday, but righthanded reliever Carson Smith pitched in the bullpen to get his work in and is now scheduled for outings with the PawSox on Friday and Saturday. If that goes well, he could be activated off the disabled list as soon as Tuesday in Chicago.
“It is realistic, yeah,’’ Farrell said. “We’ll see how the remaining part of the week goes. But that would be a logical goal for all of us.’’
Smith is on the disabled list with a flexor muscle strain. His return will ease what has been a heavy burden on primary set-up men Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara.
Lefthander Eduardo Rodriguez, on the DL because of a knee injury suffered in spring training, is scheduled to pitch Thursday for Pawtucket. He will need two or three starts before being activated.
Trying again
Pablo Sandoval will be in Gulf Breeze, Fla., on Sunday for another visit with Dr. James Andrews. Sandoval is on the disabled list with what the team says is a strained left shoulder. A visit to Andrews this month produced no diagnosis because Sandoval had too much inflammation to conduct a full round of testing . . . Joe Kelly, who is on the disabled list with a shoulder impingement, has started throwing but there is no date for him to get back on the mound.
Low-key affair
The Braves played a video tribute to David Ortiz after the first inning. He popped out of the dugout to tip his cap to the cheering crowd . . . Mookie Betts and Travis Shaw are the only players to appear in all 20 Sox games . . . Former Red Sox outfielder Mike Cameron visited the clubhouse before the game, catching up with old teammates. Cameron lives in the Atlanta area and joked he’s the world’s busiest unpaid taxi driver, taking his children to and from their games and practices.
Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.
