By BRENDAN MCGAIR

Sports writer

The hallmark of a fortuitous poker player boils down to the art of restraint. The facial expression is the equivalent of a blank canvas, providing no clues as to if a winning hand or a lousy one is being cradled.
Reaching this “Zen” state also signals that one is keenly aware of the surroundings. Your mind is able to better predict what cards are in possession by those sitting at the table, right down to rank and suit. Another star quality top poker players are endowed with is the art of deductive reasoning, i.e. the wherewithal of knowing what’s coming – even if your eyes suggest you are totally in the dark.
Apparently Michael Bowden has mastered the skill of bluffing. The Pawtucket pitcher did register movement of the lips when asked if he believed he was a prime candidate to start tomorrow’s game for the Red Sox at Fenway Park against the Detroit Tigers.
Turns out when Junichi Tazawa flipped over his cards, the Japanese prospect owned a stronger hand. Boston management ultimately settled on Tazawa to take the designated-for-assignment John Smoltz’ spot in the Boston rotation.
As for Bowden, he will carry a 3-5 record with a 3.20 ERA into tomorrow’s start against Charlotte.
“If it doesn’t happen, then I’ll stay (with Pawtucket) and keep working my way back (to Boston),” said the soft-spoken Bowden over the weekend.
Bowden’s buttoned-up tone was registered within the plush Players’ Club section in Fenway Park, located roughly 100 yards from the Red Sox clubhouse. Meanwhile it’s conceivable the clubhouse attendants were already fastening a ‘Tazawa’ nameplate atop a locker.
“Obviously no one has told me anything, but the way things are going, anything can happen,” said Bowden, his remarks some 24 hours before the Tazawa announcement. “It’s a possibility and I’d be honored if I have the opportunity, but only time will tell.”
Bowden’s clandestine response did unearth that he is fully aware of the current plight of Red Sox’ pitching. It’s been an incredible development for a team that thought it was blessed with oodles of starting pitching depth back in spring training. Thanks to a rash of injuries and ineffectiveness, Boston is in the midst scrapping together a staff at a point in the season that’s normally reserved for playoff pushes, not extreme makeovers.
Things became so desperate this past week that Billy Traber and Enrique Gonzalez were summoned purely out of necessity. Friday saw Tazawa, the owner of 11 1/3 Triple-A innings, get rushed to New York. The total of pitchers who weren’t on Boston’s 25-man roster prior to July 31 grew to five following Sunday’s call-up of Pawtucket closer Fernando Cabrera.
“The way things have been going R.J. [PawSox manager Ron Johnson] has been telling us to put our phones next to the bed so that you don’t miss the phone call,” Bowden said. “A lot of things have happened this past week that not everybody was expecting, but I may have an opportunity sooner rather than later.”
Why Tazawa, not Bowden, will get the nod against the division-leading Tigers is somewhat puzzling. Bowden was already slated to work the same night that would have been Smoltz’ next scheduled turn. Perhaps the Red Sox are simply trying to instill a sense of confidence in the 23-year-old Tazawa, who surrendered a game-ending home run to Alex Rodriguez in the wee hours of Saturday morn.
Or maybe the Boston front office is sending out a signal that Tazawa has vaulted ahead of Bowden on the depth chart, a notion that seemed pure fantasy back in April. Tazawa was on his way to pitch in Double-A Portland while Bowden was set to begin his second season with Pawtucket, having already made a start under the Fenway Park glare.
Tuesday’s start figured to come down to Bowden or Tazawa. They were the two – not to mention only – names that appeared on the shortlist of possible replacements shortly after the Boston brass decided to yank the plug on the ill-fated Smoltz Experiment. Bowden’s chances were believed to have bolstered exponentially when Tazawa pitched in relief Friday.
Another piece of evidence that suggested Bowden was ahead of Tazawa on the pitching totem pole was that Bowden falls in the D&D category, which stands for drafted (sandwich pick in 2005) and developed (Baseball America pegged him the Red Sox’ top pitching prospect heading into ’09). We all know how proud BoSox general manger Theo Epstein is when it comes to showing off just how fertile the organization’s farm system is.
Instead Epstein will put his knowledge in foreign pitchers to the test (Tazawa was signed by Craig Shipley, Boston’s international scout who was the driving force behind the acquisitions of fellow countrymen Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima).
The Red Sox took all the drama by removing the “TBA” label from tomorrow’s starter, as well as the need to initiate a corresponding move. Pawtucket is scheduled to depart from Boston’s Logan Airport, doing so with Michael Bowden, a hopeful sort who was edged out by the best possible hand in standard five-card poker: a royal flush.