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No pain as Eduardo Rodriguez throws in simulated game

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Eduardo Rodriguez’s three-inning session at Tropicana Field was designed to boost his confidence.Mitchell Layton

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Red Sox had a series of positive developments four hours before they played the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

Pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez, Koji Uehara, and Steven Wright took the mound at Tropicana Field and had successful workouts.

Rodriguez threw 59 pitches over three innings off the main mound, facing teammates Ryan Hanigan, Bryan Holaday, and Chris Young. Rodriguez aid he felt no pain in his left hamstring.

"It feels good," he said. "I threw all my pitches and didn't feel anything. It was much better."

Rodriguez had a no-hitter working against Baltimore on Aug. 16, but left the game in the fifth inning because of discomfort in the hamstring. He was cleared to start against Detroit on Sunday but informed the coaches the night before that he didn't feel confident his leg would hold up.

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Tuesday's session was designed to boost Rodriguez's confidence.

"The way he threw the baseball today, it was strong; it was powerful," manager John Farrell said. "There was no hesitation on his part. It was important to see hitters to see the reaction. . . . He was easily in the low 90s."

The next step for Rodriguez will be to throw in the bullpen Thursday morning before the final game of the series. But the Sox aren't saying when he will slot into the rotation.

"Given the history of things, we're going to take this one workday at a time," Farrell said.

Based on the schedule Rodriguez is on, his start could come on Sunday against Kansas City at Fenway Park.

Rodriguez is convinced he did the right thing.

"That's what I think. I feel like if I didn't make that decision it's going to be ugly. Better to miss a start and keep going in the season then try and be a man and something goes wrong and be out for the rest of the season."

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Rodriguez is 1-2 with a 2.52 earned run average in seven starts since the All-Star break.

Wright threw what amounted to two innings in the bullpen. He threw 33 pitches, sat down for a few minutes, then came back and threw 23 more.

Wright is scheduled to come off the disabled list and start Friday against Kansas City. Wright last pitched on Aug. 5 then jarred his shoulder diving back to second base as a pinch runner two days later.

Wright, an All-Star, is 13-5 with a 3.01 ERA in 22 starts.

Uehara also threw in the bullpen, his first time on the mound since tearing a pectoral muscle on July 19. He made 32 pitches at what Farrell described as "much more" intensity than anticipated.

The 41-year-old Uehara, for now, will throw in the bullpen every three days. After three such sessions, he could be ready to face hitters.

Video: Eduardo Rodriguez simulated game

A look at Tebow

The Red Sox will be represented when former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow holds a workout for baseball scouts Tuesday in Los Angeles.

"Sure, we'll have somebody there," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.

ESPN reported that 20 teams are expected to attend the workout.

Tebow, 29, has been working out with former major league Chad Moeller in hopes of being signed as an outfielder.

Tebow played in 35 NFL games from 2010-12 with the Broncos and Jets. He signed with the Patriots in 2013 and the Eagles in 2015 but was released before the season both times.

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Tebow has not played baseball since 2005, his junior year of high school.

Postseason plans

Major League Baseball announced that the American League Wild Card Game is scheduled for Oct. 4.

The two AL Division Series would start Oct. 6 and run through Oct. 12 if needed. The ALCS starts Oct 14 with a possible Game 7 on Oct. 22. The AL playoffs will be on TBS.

The World Series starts Oct. 25 at the home park of the American League champion. A Game 7, if needed, would be Nov. 2. Fox will televise the Series.

Crawford contributes

Andrew Benintendi can thank Carl Crawford for that spectacular diving catch he made in left field on Monday.

Before the 2007 season, the Rays lowered the fence in left field next to the foul pole hoping that it would give Crawford a chance to steal home runs away from opposing players.

Crawford never had an opportunity to make such a play, according to several long-time Tampa Bay staffers and media members. But Benintendi did in his first game at Tropicana Field, leaping to take a home run away from Steven Souza Jr.

"I wondered why the fence was low there," Benintendi said. "Good thing it was."

Benintendi would have toppled over the fence had there not been a table on the other side. He braced himself and popped back onto the field.

Kelly waits

Righthander Joe Kelly has allowed one earned run and 10 hits over his last 13 innings for Triple A Pawtucket and has struck out 20 with one walk. Given the unsettled bullpen situation, perhaps he could help.

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"We fully expect him to be here at some point. He is throwing the ball well and yet there are some limitations how we get him here right now," Farrell said.

"I would expect that day is coming."

The Sox will need to drop a reliever when Wright is activated, so Kelly may not return until rosters expand Sept. 1.

More Ortiz honors

The Ted Williams Museum & Hitters Hall of Fame at Tropicana Field opened an exhibit about David Ortiz that he visited before the game. The museum presented Ortiz with a bat signed by Williams . . . Third baseman Michael Chavis, a first-round pick in 2014, was promoted to High-A Salem, a team headed for the postseason. Chavis hit .244 with a .711 OPS for Single A Greenville. He is a career .237 hitter.


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.