AMERICAN LEAGUE NOTES : Thin Red Sox Bullpen Pared Again by Injury

Boston’s bullpen, already thin, was further weakened when right-hander Dennis Lamp suffered a back injury and became unavailable Sunday.

Lamp was charged with four runs in one-third of an inning Saturday, when Red Sox relievers gave up nine runs in the last three innings after Roger Clemens had pitched six shutout innings.

Injured players can’t be replaced on a team’s roster during the playoffs, but replacements can be made during the World Series. The Red Sox dropped reliever Wes Gardner before formulating their 25-man playoff roster, but as Manager Joe Morgan said, “How could I know Lamp was going to get hurt?”

He added, “Hopefully, (Dana) Kiecker will go out and give us six innings. Or seven. Or nine.”

Kiecker lasted 5 2/3 innings.

Morgan said he wasn’t not sure whether Clemens will be healthy enough to start Game 4 in Oakland Wednesday. “I have to talk to Roger,” he said. “If we’re down 0-3, I might wait another day for Roger. You have to get it started, but I wouldn’t want to start him unless I was sure he’s 100%.”

Oakland pitching coach Dave Duncan has no qualms about sending Dave Stewart, Saturday’s winner, out again Tuesday.

“He’s made quite a few starts on three days’ rest. Any opportunity for him to pitch on three days’ rest, he wants to,” Duncan said. “He just feels like he has a better feel for the baseball, better command, on three days’ rest. He personally feels more comfortable.”

But that’s not true of Bob Welch. “We’ve used him on three days’ rest four times, I think,” Duncan said. “I think he prefers four, but has responded well on three. It’s a tribute to the pitchers themselves. We don’t have any reservations about starting any of our top four starters on three days’ rest, Dave Stewart, Bob Welch, Mike Moore or Scott Sanderson. Physically, they’re all capable of it.”

But Duncan wasn’t sure whether Welch is capable of starting Game 5 on Wednesday, if needed.

“We’ll have to wait until (Sunday’s) game is over and see what kind of game he has,” Duncan said. “If he has to throw the kind of game Stew did, a close game where he makes 120, 125 pitches, we’ll have to see. On top of that, we’ll have to look where we’re at by then.”

Bill Rigney, the A’s senior adviser, on Stewart: “The remarkable thing about him is that he wins every big game he pitches. Some guys win some, some win one, but he wins them all, and every time it seems like he’s pitching against a Clemens or (Chuck) Finley or (Dave) Stieb, and he he still finds a way to do it.”

Both teams will hold workouts at the Oakland Coliseum today, the Red Sox at 2 p.m. and the A’s at 4 p.m.

A’s Manager Tony La Russa doesn’t plan to take attendance today. “Everybody’s different. Some guys might feel they’re going good and want to keep the ball or bat in their hands,” said La Russa, who said he would probably appear at the workout. “Some guys want a day’s rest. I don’t care. I just want them to be ready for Tuesday.”

Times staff writer Ross Newhan contributed to this article.