Bartolo Colon is scheduled to throw 75 pitches (about 4 to 5 innings) in his next rehab start, Thursday for Pawtucket.

Will Colon be ready for the majors after that? It would seem Colon could use one more start after that ... then again, it may be time for Clay Buchholz to re-group in Triple-A.

Buchholz is likely the pitcher sent to Triple-A when Colon is finally activated for the majors. So far, Buchholz has made 8 starts, 4 good and 4 bad ones. His last two have been bad (8 1/3 total innings, 18 hits, 12 earned runs, 6 walks).

The Sox have a day off Thursday so Buchholz's start could be skipped (although Boston does like to give its starters that extra day of rest now and then).

It may depend on how Colon looks Thursday.

When it was finally time for Jed Lowrie to go back to minors, Red Sox manager Terry Francona left him with some encouraging word.

"He said, 'great job. We won a lot of game when you were in there,' " Lowrie said Monday from the Pawtucket clubhouse. "He said he gained a lot of confidence and trust in me, and told me to go back (to Pawtucket), get my work in and have a good attitude about it."

Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson knew Lowrie would have a good attitude. "When he called me (Sunday) night from the airport and asked what time he had to be here. That’s good stuff," Johnson said. "He's got a mind frame that’s right."

Lowrie jumped right back into the PawSox lineup Monday and went 2-for-3 with two walks and a homer.

Jeff Bailey added two homers (8 total) and Jon Van Every went deep once in Pawtucket's 9-6 victory ... Devern Hansack was the winning pitcher (5 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K) ... Chris Smith got the save (1 IP, 1 K) and lowered his ERA to 1.50.

Portland was off Monday and begins a three-game series in Trenton. The Sea Dogs are 2 1/2 games in back of the Thunder.

In Lancaster, the JetHawks won 9-2. Outfielder Jason Place is showing signs of life. He upped his average to .200, going 2-for-5 with his third homer ... Catcher Jon Still (.313) hit a 3-run homer) ... third baseman Jorge Jimenez (.351) 2-for-5, outfielder Reid Engel (.320) 1-for-3, outfielder Daniel Nava (.338) 2-for-4, and infielder Aaron Reza (.347) 2-for-4 all continue to hit.

Tony Bajoczky got the win for Lancaster (5 2/3, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 4 K) and lowered his ERA to 3.29 - an impressive stat in the California League

In Greenville, starter Felix Doubront was hit with his first loss (5 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) ... Reliever Bryce Cox continues his comeback from injury (2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K ... a 1.29 ERA).

And, to close, a final word on reliever Julian Tavarez, who was designated for assignment on Monday.

When the Red Sox signed Julian Tavarez before the 2006 season, there was a lot of head-shaking. People said the guy was not stable and would be a distraction.

When I first saw Tavarez in spring training, he was throwing a punch, starting a fight in an exhibition game against the Devil Rays.

Hmm. Not a good first impression. But Tavarez's personality grew on people as the season went on.

In the following off-season, Tavarez made an appearance at the Maine Medical Center's Barbara Bush Hospital. Tavarez smiled and talked to the kids. But Tavarez was quiet when interviewed afterward. Being around children with cancer made him sad. Yes, it was good to make the kids smile, but he wished he could do more.

It was a certainly difference side of Tavarez.

In the 2007 season, Tavarez was a starter while Jon Lester worked his way back into shape after his bout with cancer. Tavarez did not complain about being a temporary starter but, rather, openly cheered for Lester's return, saying what a great story it was.

In the post-season, Tavarez was left off the playoff roster. No complaining. No distraction.

Tavarez proved his value in 2007 by eating up innings and being a good teammate.

The Red Sox did the right thing, keeping Craig Hansen over Tavarez, but the veteran definitely contributed to the Red Sox during his 2-plus years with Boston.

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