John Lackey has been plain awful at points throughout the season, but according to Peter Gammons of NESN and MLB Network, that could be due to his lingering elbow issue.
Gammons said that Lackey, who has a 5-6 record with a sky-high 7.36 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 11 starts, may need Tommy John surgery before too long.
"With all the problems with Lackey's elbow, is this guy going to end up needing Tommy John surgery before August? That's something they have to decide," said Gammons. "They've already lost Matsuzaka, and Lackey's been a physical issue all year. ...
"I've had indications that there are some questions about just how healthy [Lackey is]. We know he was disabled with the elbow problem. We know he had the shot," Gammons added. "I thought his last start, the rain day, he seemed really distracted. ... That was a lost day entirely. How much of it is health? How much of it is personal? We don't know. I think this is something that will need to play out over the next two or three weeks or so. If the elbow is barking, that creates a pretty serious problem for them. That's where [Andrew] Miller and [Felix] Doubront and people like that become very important for them." (via WEEI)
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