Another Rehab Start For Smoltz

((HT: WHDH-TV))

Rehabbing pitcher John Smoltz ((pictured, thanks WMUR-TV))took another step toward returning to the Boston Red Sox.

The 42-year-old right-hander tossed 3 1-3 innings for the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday night, allowing one run and three hits while striking out two and throwing 60 pitches.

"Another rung in the ladder," he told nearly 30 reporters -- many of them from Boston -- in a cramped interview room under the stands. "My radar screen has Boston on it. As long as that's the carrot dancing in front of you, you just keep doing what you're doing."

Leadoff batter Todd Donovan lined a single up the middle that had Smoltz ducking for cover, but he retired the next eight hitters before Donovan singled again in the third and scored on Adam Calderone's triple. Smoltz got the next batter on a fly to left to end the third, and the crowd of 8,903 -- a record for MerchantsAuto.com Stadium -- rose to a standing ovation, thinking he was done for the night.

But he came out again for the bottom of the fourth and threw one more pitch for a harmless fly to right. Sea Dogs manager Arnie Beyeler came out to get him, and Smoltz shook hands with his catcher and tipped his hat to the cheering crowd as he left with Portland leading 3-1.

Dave Eid has the highlights from Manchester, thanks to our friends at WGME-TV13 in Portland

"I was hoping he would let me stay in there, but I understand," said Smoltz, who was projected for four innings and 65 pitches.

Smoltz reported no pain and said he was throwing in the 89-91 mph range. He said his splitter and changeup were successful, but that his slider needs work.

"I have to temper what I've been doing, because I can't wait," he said. "This, more than anything I've done in my career, is going to take a lot of patience."

Smoltz, who was 14 years older than the next-oldest player on the Sea Dogs' roster, has 210 major league wins -- and 154 saves. He had surgery last June to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, then signed with the Red Sox in the offseason after 20 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Smoltz threw 29 pitches in three scoreless innings during his first rehabilitation outing, pitching for Boston's Class-A affiliate in Greenville, Ga., on Thursday. He said he expects to pitch five innings for Greenville on Sunday, then go to Triple-A Pawtucket for two more starts.

That would have him available for the Red Sox rotation on June 16 against the Florida Marlins, with his second start for Boston coming against Atlanta on June 21.

Smoltz said he had requested that his first start not be against his former team.

"That game would be too big," he said. "There would be so much surrounding it, a breath wouldn't come easy."

Adam Kilgore's report from the Boston Globe is in black...