CHICAGO — Kutter Crawford spent much of Friday afternoon at Guaranteed Rate Field going through his long toss routine, stretching out from the right-field line to the warning track in center field. Upon completion, Crawford hurled the ball over the right-field wall and it ricocheted off a jumbotron.
Maybe that was a sign Crawford feels strong. He was supposed to start Sunday, but instead he will go Tuesday against the Phillies.
Crawford certainly feels as though he’s in a good space.
“The body feels pretty good,” said Crawford. “Obviously, there have been times where I stepped up and pitched on the fifth day versus having the extra day off in between. But, overall, I feel pretty happy about where my body and my shoulder is. I think the big thing is just maintaining the lower half but the shoulder feels pretty good.”
Crawford has hit a rough patch, compiling a 5.82 ERA in his last six starts compared with a 1.56 ERA in his first seven.
However, Crawford spent much of the offseason working on his lower half to remain durable and pitch deep into games. That has paid off, in some aspect, with the Sox starter tossing at least five innings in all but two of his starts. Pitching deep into the summer, every five days, is Crawford’s next hurdle, one he is certain he can leap.
“It’s probably one of the more important things,” said Crawford. “You have to have your lower half. It’s got to be strong. It’s got to be stable. It’s got to be mobile. If your lower half is not moving, then you put more stress on your arm. And that was a big focus. I had to learn about how my lower half moves and what I have to do to help out, to help maintain feeling good, mobile, and strong. So far, so good. We’re accomplishing that.”
Crawford yielded five runs in his June 4 start against the Braves, an 8-3 loss. He was just two outs away from getting out of the sixth with just two runs charged to his tab. However, Ozzie Albies tattooed a fastball that came in at just 91 miles per hour, proving the slim margin of error between a good and a bad start, particularly against a stellar team. It won’t get any easier against the Phillies, one of the best teams in baseball this year. Crawford wouldn’t want it any other way.
“Whenever you’re competing against some of the better teams in the league, it’s always a test to kind of see where you’re at, where your stuff’s at,” said Crawford. “Obviously, the last outing I gave up the big three-run homer. But I feel like it’s just been one pitch. I felt pretty good with my fastball, my cutter, my sweeper. The pitches felt better and sharper. I’m excited to compete against the Phillies.”
Yoshida progressing
Masataka Yoshida (thumb sprain) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday at Triple A Worcester.
Manager Alex Cora is uncertain how many games Yoshida will need before he is ready to return to the parent club but is excited to get him back in the lineup soon.
“The at-bat is going to help us out,” said Cora. “I felt good about the lineup Thursday. Splitting up the lefties. [Connor Wong] hitting seventh. Then we’ll make a decision on what we do. Whether we hit him second or hit him fourth and have [Rafael Devers] hit second. We’ll get there when we get there.”
Yoshida will wear a special thumb guard. He likely will have to manage the injury for the remainder of the season. The offensive load won’t be on Yoshida, noted Cora, considering the offense has been better as of late.
“We do believe that we’re deeper,” said Cora. “We got some guys stepping up or playing good baseball. We’ll make sure we mix and match some and help everybody out to stay healthy. I know [Yoshida] is going to contribute.”
Romy Gonzalez (hamstring) likely will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday for Worcester. Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) is progressing but has yet to ramp up baseball activities.
Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.