Colon pins his hopes on Boston

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PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Boston Red Sox infielder Alex Cora made a bold prediction here Saturday night at McCoy Stadium. He had just completed his three-game rehab stint with the Class AAA PawSox when he deemed pitcher Bartolo Colon ready to contribute in Boston. Not only contribute, but also make a huge impact. "He's going to help us win a world championship," said Cora. Red Sox management certainly feels that way, too. General manager Theo Epstein wouldn't have signed Colon to a non-guaranteed deal at the start of spring training if he didn't think Colon could be effective in the rotation. The Red Sox took a gamble signing the oft-injured hefty hurler and it appears the club made a good choice. Colon showed tremendous arm strength and work ethic during spring training, and it was obvious he was close to returning to his once-dominant self. Originally, Colon had a May 1 opt-out clause in his contract, but after he suffered an oblique injury following his first start for the PawSox last month, Epstein and Colon's representatives agreed to extend that by one month. Colon was activated from the DL on Saturday and worked three solid innings, allowing only one run on four hits. He threw 49 pitches and will start again for Pawtucket on May 15 at Buffalo where his pitch count will increase to 75 pitches. If he continues to progress it's likely he'll make at least one more start after that before the Red Sox make a decision. That decision will be an interesting one. Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz is 2-2 with a 4.50 ERA in seven starts heading into Monday night's outing in Minnesota. The 23-year-old right-hander still has options remaining, so if Colon is ready for the rotation, it's likely Buchholz could be sent to Pawtucket to continue his development. Buchholz acknowledged during spring training that he realizes that scenario is a strong possibility, and he said he understood. Red Sox management admitted they wouldn't keep the rookie in Boston and shift him to the bullpen. If, for some reason, the Red Sox do not call up Colon to Boston by June 1 he becomes a free agent and there are plenty of teams in dire need of pitching that would quickly pounce all over someone like Colon, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner.The scouts in attendance at McCoy Saturday night represented the Blue Jays, Mariners, Orioles and Brewers. Some of those scouts admitted Colon appears to be strong again. In fact one scout called his arm "phenomenal." There are many reasons why Colon would want to stay in the Red Sox organization. First and foremost the opportunity to win a World Series, which the Red Sox were the odds-on favorite at the start of the season to repeat as champions. Secondly, the Latino community within the Red Sox clubhouse is close with Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Julio Lugo, Julian Tavarez, Mike Lowell and Cora. They all welcomed him with open arms, knowing he could have an impact. Red Sox manager Terry Francona also spoke highly of Colon during spring training, saying the veteran pitcher quickly meshed well with his new teammates. Even the Sox were surprised just how well Colon had rebounded from arm troubles. If Boston's vision holds true, and Colon can stay healthy, Cora's prophecy just might come to fruition. Colon has made no secret of his desire to stay with the Red Sox, but if for some reason he ends up pitching for another club, it could certainly come back to haunt the Sox.(Contact Joe McDonald at jmcdonal@projo.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)