Sox scramble for closer with Bailey due for surgery

WASHINGTON • As planned, the Boston Red Sox will have a new closer to open the season. It just won’t be Andrew Bailey.

The Red Sox announced Tuesday that Bailey will have surgery on his right thumb, likely ruling him out for most of the season.

“I don’t think it will be before the all-star break — is what the trainer told me,” manager Bobby Valentine said when asked for a timetable for Bailey’s return.

Both Bailey and ace Josh Beckett were in Cleveland to see Dr. Thomas Graham for second opinions on their respective thumb injuries. Beckett was deemed OK and remains scheduled to start Saturday at Detroit in Boston’s second game of the season, but Bailey was diagnosed as needing an operation to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament.

The surgery will be performed Wednesday.

The injury left Valentine scrambling for a Plan B to close out games. Candidates include Alfredo Aceves and Mark Melancon, but the manager said he wanted to keep his decision a secret heading into the threegame series against the Tigers. Aceves pitched a scoreless eighth against the Nationals on Tuesday and picked up the win.

“The guys that you’ve seen in the bullpen are going to hold down the fort, and do a job to help us win a lot of games,” Valentine said. “I think you saw Aceves there at the end; you’ll see him at the end of games. Melancon will be there at the end of games, for sure … Detroit will find out hopefully on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.”

Valentine isn’t sure how Bailey was injured. The manager initially said it began bothering the closer during a game against Pittsburgh on March 21, but Valentine wasn’t aware of it until Friday. Bailey travelled to Boston on Monday to have it checked out.

Bailey was acquired in a December trade with Oakland to replace Jonathan Papelbon, who left in the off-season to sign a Us$50-million, four-year contract with Philadelphia. Bailey was also sidelined at the start of spring training when he strained a muscle during the vertical leap portion of his entrance physical, but returned to pitch six innings in six Grapefruit League games, with an 01 record and a 4.50 ERA.