By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

By BRENDAN McGAIR
Sports writer
PAWTUCKET – For Jonathan Van Every, a rough, up and down season is about to come to a boil.
Surgery on Van Every's cranky left knee appears on deck for the centerfielder. Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson confirmed as much Wednesday, mentioning Van Every went to Boston to visit team doctor Thomas Gil. The diagnosis ruled was that going under the knife would be the best way to correct a problem that’s crimped Van Every’s abilities.
Van Every didn’t want get into the specifics, only offering that the surgery date is set for “sometime next week.” The procedure is believed to be similar to the arthroscopic procedure Boston shortstop Julio Lugo underwent in March, one that included the repair of torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee.
If nothing more serious is discovered, Van Every could resume baseball-related activities in 3-4 weeks, the same timeframe Lugo was originally given (Lugo actually joined the PawSox on a rehab stint the fifth week). “We don’t think it’s going to be long, but it’s something that needs to be taken care of,” said Johnson.
Van Every’s arduous season started in spring training, when the 29-year-old sustained a knee sprain sliding into second base. He started a rehab program with Pawtucket on April 22, but was summoned to Boston two days later. Van Every wound up spending close to two weeks with the parent club, a stay that included a game-winning home run in Cleveland.
All told Van Every has made three trips to the DL. The latest stems from a misplay of fly ball last Friday in Syracuse.

Reliever Jose Vaquedano has been asked to handle a myriad of roles out of the PawSox’ bullpen, ranging from long/short man to throwing on consecutive days. It’s little wonder then that Johnson considers the submarine thrower extremely valuable, a sentiment the skipper conveyed to Ben Cherington when the Boston Assistant GM was at McCoy Stadium on Monday.
Now making his second Triple-A go-around, the 27-year-old Vaquedano is rapidly finding out that experience can yield major dividends. Currently the right-hander is in the midst of a scoreless tear, one headed in last night’s action spanned seven games and 12 2/3 innings. On the season Vaquedano is 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA, which rates him fourth amongst current Pawtucket relievers.
Vaquedano’s turnaround can be attributed to mixing his off-speed arsenal (change-up, curve) earlier in counts. That wasn’t the case in 2008, when International League hitters lit Vaquedano up for a .302 batting average.
“I would fall behind, and they knew the fastball was coming,” said Vaquedano, a 35th round choice of the Red Sox in 2002. “I tend to get more comfortable when I repeat a league.”
Another role Vaquedano has assumed is that of knuckleballer Charlie Zink’s catching buddy. Zink selected Vaquedano primarily because of his side-winding motion. “I play catch with him every day; it’s not fun,” said Vaquedano. “Once in a while he has those good days when the pitch is moving around, I actually got hit in the knee the other day.”

Johnson was asked to weigh in on the recent call-ups of Bubba Bell and Aaron Bates from Double-A Portland. To the manager, it’s merely the case of development working out to his finest.
“They’ve earned the promotion, it’s just a natural progression,” said Johnson. “I get excited because that’s what (the minors) is all about. When you see guys doing well at Double-A, then coming up here, that’s good stuff.”

EXTRA BASES: Relief pitcher Javier Lopez threw a 35-pitch bullpen session without any complications Wednesday. Currently on the DL with left bicep tendinitis, Lopez will be reevaluated today. … A few hectic days have resulted in the PawSox juggling their rotation. Zink (4-5, 3.96) pitches the finale of the four-game set with Charlotte tonight, followed by Michael Bowden on Friday in Durham, Enrique Gonzalez on Saturday and Kris Johnson on Sunday. … This evening is PawSox “Pink Out” T-Shirt Night in conjunction with a series of breast cancer awareness that will be part of the pregame ceremonies. T-shirts will be passed out to the first 3,000 fans.