July 7, 2009 at 9:11 PM
Richardson to replace Tazawa as EL All-Star
Portland relief pitcher Dustin Richardson will be an Eastern League All-Star after all - he'll be replacing Junichi Tazawa, who will be pitching in the Futures Game on July 12, on the Northern Division roster. In his first season pitching out of the bullpen, Richardson has put up a 2-1 record with a 2.78 ERA so far in 2009. The tall lefthander has made 26 appearances spanning 45.1 innings, compiling 62 strikeouts and limiting opposing hitters to a .186 batting average. He has faired even better against lefthanded hitters, holding them to a .167 batting average while striking out 33 in 18.2 innings. Pitching exclusively as a starter prior to this season, Richardson owns a career minor league record of 22-20 with a 4.28 ERA, striking out 347 in 319.1 innings since being selected by the Red Sox in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. He is currently the twenty-eighth ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization according to SoxProspects.com.