John Lackey may have avoided the worst in a 5-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday, when he left his first start back after Tommy John surgery with a strained right biceps. He's slated to go for further tests in Boston on Sunday.
TORONTO — John Lackey's first thought was "year and a half of getting to this point, having to do it again."
Tentatively, the Red Sox right-hander and the team are encouraged that he won't have to rehab for another 16 months. Not even close.
The injury Lackey suffered in the fifth inning of a 5-0 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday appears to be just a biceps strain and nothing related to his surgically repaired elbow.
“It’s sore, but hopefully not too serious," Lackey said after the game.
Lackey did well on strength tests administered at Rogers Centre on Saturday, but more will be known Sunday, when he flies to Boston for a full exam, including an MRI.
"My hand didn't go numb or anything like that, like I've had with elbow stuff," Lackey said. "It was pretty much right in the belly of the bicep."
Before Saturday, Lackey had not pitched in the majors since Sept. 25, 2011, because of Tommy John surgery he underwent on Nov. 1 that year.
Lackey's 76th pitch, with Jose Reyes at the plate and one out in the fifth inning, brought the panic. Lackey threw a 2-2 slider that missed badly low and in and forced Reyes, batting left-handed, to dive out of the way. Lackey immediately grabbed for his arm. Dustin Pedroia got to Lackey first, followed by other infielders, manager John Farrell and head trainer Rick Jameyson.
Lackey walked off the mound slowly, favoring the arm. Boston trailed 2-0.
"It got better when I got inside," Lackey said. "It kind of loosened up a little bit. It felt like a pretty good cramp, like a hamstring kind of thing, which I've had before. I would liken it to that.
“The test they ran on me here today looked pretty good. Hopefully we’ll get a picture of it tomorrow and get after it. Hopefully it’s nothing too crazy."
Lackey was pitching pretty well, too, aside from a two-run homer J.P. Arencibia hit in the second inning. Five of the first seven outs Lackey recorded came by strikeout, and he finished with eight on the day.
Count Saturday as a potentially special day that got ruined. Coming back from Tommy John surgery is cause for celebration for any player, and Farrell said on Friday he hoped Lackey would take "a moment to reflect back on what the last 16 months have been."
"'Oh god,'" said fellow Sox starter Clay Buchholz of his reaction when Lackey was hurt. "Just seeing how good he was throwing the ball, how easy it was coming out of his hand — it stinks more for him, but it stinks for all of us because he's a really likeable guy and everybody's looking forward to him coming out here and pitching."
Lackey's final line included 4 1/3 innings, five hits, one walk and two runs allowed. He threw 51 of his 76 pitches for strikes, reached 94 mph and sat 91-92.
"He looked sharp," Farrell said. "He had good action to his secondary stuff. The velocity was probably the best we’ve seen to date. He was free and easy. He threw all his pitches for strikes. He gets a cutter up in the zone to Arencibia and we are well aware of what he can do with a pitch up in the strike zone. Other than that, he pitched out of a couple of jams with some men on base. I think into that inning overall, he was pitching as we ever could have anticipated or hoped.”
Lackey said he's talked to several players who have had Tommy John surgeries and some had biceps issues. He himself has not had a biceps problem in the past.
Alfredo Aceves replaced Lackey and walked Reyes on his first pitch, but it wasn't until the sixth that the Blue Jays scored again. Colby Rasmus hit a three-run bomb off Aceves to make it 5-0.
Aceves, a candidate to start in place of Lackey who it can be assumed will miss at least one start, has allowed three-run homers in both his 2013 appearances. Vernon Wells of the Yankees hit the first one in Wednesday's 7-4 Sox win.
Blue Jays lefty starter J.A Happ, meanwhile, let up just one hit and three walks in 5 1/3 scoreless frames, striking out six. Toronto's bullpen let up just one hit and no walks from there as the Sox managed just two hits on the day.
Shane Victorino, 0-for-2 with two walks, was a teammate of Happ's Philadelphia.
"He's gotten a lot better," Victorino said. "Earlier in his career, when he was with the Phillies, he struggled with his command. When he was on, he had his stuff working, he was like today. He had everything working, changeup. His changeup to me's gotten a lot better. ... He can be a pretty darn good lefty."
Follow MassLive.com Red Sox beat writer @EvanDrellich on Twitter. He can be reached by email at evan.drellich@masslive.com.