Okay so here we are in the middle of June, my Red Sox have a fantastic nine-game lead over the enemy.

Just when you think everything is going great, Curt Schilling is in need of a MRI on his (gulp) right shoulder.

Uh-oh.

So instead of continuing the road trip with the team, he's trotting to Boston for a visit with the docs.

Not too worry, they haven't found anything, yet.

The good news Curt only has (at most) three starts before the All-Star break. His next start is scheduled for Sunday in San Diego - in what I believe to be the 2007 World Series preview. (More on that Thursday).

It's time to shut him down, just until after the All-Star break. I'd much rather see a healthy Schilling in August, September than to potentially make matters worse in late June.

The door is about to open for Jon Lester.

Though his eight-game sample while in Pawtucket is small, Lester has posted some outstanding numbers (2.11 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) but has had very little run support.

He pitches today but there is no reason to believe he could not be ready for Monday's game in Seattle.

Not only does Lester have the numbers (25Ks in 38 innings), he also brings with him a certain spiritual energy the team may need right now.

What can be more uplifting than seeing a teammate back in the bigs after fighting cancer?

The Sox nine-game lead is not in jeopardy. There's no need to panic. Pitching Lester for three weeks could prove very valuable in assessing the teams needs down the stretch.

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