Portland Sea Dogs ace Justin Masterson is being called up to the Boston Red Sox and will start Thursday afternoon's game against the Angels, at Fenway Park.

Masterson, 23, is plugging a hole in the rotation, created when Daisuke Matsuzaka became ill and could not pitch tonight. Jon Lester, Thursday's scheduled starter, is pitching tonight.

Masterson was supposed to start for the Sea Dogs Thursday, but found out at about 5:30 this afternoon that he was headed to Fenway. He'll arrive in Boston tonight.

"I'm just real excited," Masterson said on the phone as he packed. "It's hard to put into words.

"I just want to put together a quality performance tomorrow."

Masterson has dominated early in the season in his four starts. He's 1-0 with a 0.95 ERA. In 19 innings, he's allowed 2 runs, 14 hits and five walks. He has struck out 23.

His best pitch is a sinking fastball, but he has been working on his slider and change-up.

Masterson was a second round draft pick in 2006 out of San Diego State. He was promoted to Portland last July and went 4-3 for the Sea Dogs.

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