With 23-year-old Junichi Tazawa on the cusp of making his first Major League start against the AL Central leading Detroit Tigers amid an August race that has the Red Sox fighting for their playoff lives, now seems like the perfect time to go through the laundry list of pitchers potentially available in waiver deals this month.

Sox GM Theo Epstein and Co. have another three weeks to potentially make a deal for a starting pitcher and/or a shortstop capable of stepping in and playing significant September/playoff innings should Jed Lowrie fail to come back from a case of ulnar neuritis in his left forearm.

Christian Guzman was never claimed on waivers by the Red Sox, contrary to various reports, and Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy is still a possibility in the infield. Nick Green smashed his career-best sixth home run of the season in Monday night’s much-needed win over the Tigers at Fenway Park and has been at-times spectacular on defense, so the need isn’t quite as pressing in the middle of the infield as it would appear to be at starting pitcher.

Clay Buchholz was impressed at Yankee Stadium in his six innings of work last weekend and may have unraveled the key to big league success with a two-seam fastball he was able to use to turn potentially troublesome situations into a pair of double play balls. Brad Penny reverted back to his first-half form with a trademark six inning, three runs allowed start on Monday night, and Tim Wakefield appeared to take one hobbling step closer to making a return from the 15-day disabled list after throwing 51 pitches in a simulated game.

Wake has technically been able to pitch for weeks now, but he’s still limping badly on a left calf muscle that’s been compromised by a sciatic nerve problem in his back – and he appears to still be a liability fielding the position despite the remote possibility of an upcoming road start against either the Rangers this weekend or the Blue Jays next week.

So, essentially the Sox can stand pat and bank on A) Buchholz continuing to show consistent poise that’s eluded thus far in 25 big league starts B> Penny improving on first half numbers that had him hovering near a 5.00 ERA C) Tazawa blossoming into a reliable option amid the heat of an August pennant race or D) Wakefield avoiding any further aches and pains in his 43-year-old body long enough to contribute down the stretch and then into the playoffs. Paul Byrd isn't in the mix yet because he hasn't retired a single Major League batter yet this season, and we're now into August.

All could very well happen and several are entirely plausible scenarios, but the Sox also need to be prepared should none of the above happens with the merry band of No. 3-5 starters the Sox are currently filling in around Josh Beckett and Jon Lester. There shouldn't be a lot of fuzzy, happy feelings in a playoff-caliber starting rotation that has two rookies taking turns every five days going forward. You heard it here first.

Notice no mention of last year's 18-game winner Daisuke Matsuzaka. He's working like mad to drop LBs and prove to the Sox that he's worthy of some pitching time in September, and a return to form by last year's 18-game winner could make all of the rest below moot. But pardon a nation of Sox followers if they don't put a great deal of faith in a pitcher that pumped a plus 8.00 ERA onto to the scoreboard in April and then badmouthed the team's throwing program in early August.

So, a waiver deal for a starter to hedge their bets and ease the pressure on a pair of unproven 20-somethings could be exactly what Boston needs to make sure there isn’t a repeat of their 2006 crash-and-burn. There are certainly enough willing and able players on the 25-man roster to avoid such a collapse, but another bad break or two could land a knockout punch on this year’s Olde Towne Team. There is a 2006 similarity to this Sox team in that when the Olde Towne Team plugs up one hole, another one seems to rupture and need attention.

The Chicago White Sox are spending money and dealing prospects to make big moves down the stretch, and have me believing they’ll overtake the Tigers in the AL Central or hop over the Sox in the Wild Card Race over the next six weeks. Meanwhile, the Sox have done little to buttress their pitching staff since the season began.

Here are a few potential options that shouldn’t cost a ton in terms of real prospect currency:

--Doug Davis – 33-year-old free agent to be with the Arizona Diamondbacks that has reportedly cleared through waivers and could be available in a deal. Davis is 7-10 in the National League and has a 1.44 WHIP, which could be considered minor red flags. But a 3.62 ERA and a .255 batting average against along with an average of slightly over six innings a start is exactly what the Red Sox could use behind their Big Two.

--Vicente Padilla – Umm, no.

--Aaron Harang – An intriguing possibility as he’s reportedly cleared through waivers, but would come with a price tag as he’s signed through 2010 ($12.5 million next season) with a club option for 2011 that comes along with a $2 million option. The 31-year-old went from late May until this week without a win, and is logging both a 4.43 ERA and .293 batting average against competition in the National League. Those are clearly warning signs that should scare and amaze, but he’s only two seasons removed from a 16-6 season with a 3.73 ERA. The question becomes how much better Harang is as an option over, say, Penny through the course of this season.

--Bronson Arroyo – the 32-year-old’s ERA has jumped in four straight seasons with the Cincinnati Reds since becoming an All-Star with the Reds in his first season, but he’s on pace to clear 200 innings pitched for the fifth straight season while putting up 10 wins and a 5.04 ERA. He averages 6 1/3 innings per start and has hitters sitting at a .282 batting average against this season while his strikeouts per nine innings have dropped dramatically. Arroyo clearly is still a No. 4 or 5 starter in the AL East, but he’d chew up more innings than Penny and has never had an issue with his pitching arm while logging heavy usage over the last six seasons. Arroyo is also signed for 2010 ($11 million) with a club option for 2012 that comes along with a $2 million buyout. Another very big plus for Arroyo: he's been here, he knows the landscape and he's thrived under the Boston baseball microscope.