Always a doubt
Kimbrel continues trend of shaky ninth
One thing’s for sure after Opening Day: Watching Craig Kimbrel pitch the ninth inning still resembles a high-speed roller-coaster ride in the dark.
Rarely can a pitcher be so erratic against one batter and so dominant against the next. Kimbrel opened the season with a fastball that touched 99 mph, but the ninth inning of the Red Sox’ 5-3 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday was its own prime-time drama.
Josh Bell came about 12 inches from taking Kimbrel deep over the Green Monster to lead off the ninth, but the ball graciously bounced off the top of The Wall and fell for a double. Kimbrel then overpowered Josh Harrison, striking him out on three pitches. He struck out Jordy Mercer after that.
Ahead 0-2 on Adam Frazier and one strike away from ending the game, he hit the Pittsburgh left fielder in the back.
Finally, he induced a foul pop from Starling Marte to end the saga.
“I thought in spring training he had much better direction, much more consistent,” manager John Farrell said. “He yanked a couple of pitches today, none more so than the (0-2) curveball to Frazier. . . . Still, there were a number of quality strikes well located with the premium velocity he has.”
With Tyler Thornburg (shoulder inflammation) and Carson Smith (Tommy John recovery) on the shelf for the time being, the Red Sox know it won’t be easy once they get to the bullpen.
Matt Barnes relieved Rick Porcello with two men on in the seventh inning and allowed both to score before he finally escaped.
Barnes had no idea he would pitch the seventh until “they called down and said, ‘Get Barnes going,’ and I started throwing.”
“Everybody knows Craig has the ninth,” Barnes said. “For right now, it’s going to be based off matchups, I think, who’s got the hot hand, who’s coming up in their lineup. That’s what we know. We’re all ready.”
After Barnes, Robby Scott needed one pitch to retire lefty Gregory Polanco to start the eighth. Heath Hembree finished that inning before Kimbrel walked a tightrope in the ninth.
Farrell said he’s going to play the matchups when identifying who to use in set-up situations.
“Without a lock-down eighth-inning guy, we’re going to have to mix and match,” he said. “The guys that had been throwing the ball well late coming out of spring training were the three on the mound before Kimbrel today. Polanco clearly is much stronger against right-handers. For the one pitch, (Scott) did his job. Hembree once again, strike-thrower with good stuff.”
Thornburg dormant
Thornburg still is shut down and will not begin throwing until at least this weekend.
“That was going to be a . . . seven-to-10-day no-throw after the last images were taken,” Farrell said. “We’re still in the first five days of that. We’re probably another five days (away). . . . He’s got to get it re-checked before a ball gets put back in his hand. And that’s going to be all strength measurement again and how he tests out in the training room.”
Small ball
Gerrit Cole had been throwing as hard as 100 mph with a vicious slider when Sandy Leon, hitting ninth, crossed up the right-hander.
Facing a standard defensive shift to Leon’s pull side, the Red Sox catcher bunted a 96-mph pitch nice and easy down the third base line. Cole picked up the bunt and flashed a look of disgust toward his dugout. The Pirates called timeout for a visit to the mound, but Cole never recovered, allowing three more two-out hits, including a three-run homer to Andrew Benintendi, as the Red Sox scored five in the fifth inning.
Leon said he has been working on bunting against the shift.
“I was getting ready to hit, and I saw the shift way over to second base, and I just wanted to get on base,” he said. “I’ve got ( Dustin Pedroia) on deck, and I know what he can do. Just playing for the team, just trying to get on base for the team and for Pedey.”
Farrell said in spring training he wanted his players to try bunting more frequently against shifts.
“We want our guys to play the game,” the manager said. “We talk about a number of different situations in the moment there. He’s a guy that’s going to get a number of shifts, particularly (hitting) lefthanded. It’s something he did a couple of times in spring training. That’s an attack on Sandy’s part that he’s worked on, and it worked here today.”
Pomeranz unsure
Drew Pomeranz is getting closer, but the Sox won’t say if he’ll be ready to start the sixth game of the season Sunday in Detroit against the Tigers.
The lefty is dealing with a forearm strain after receiving a stem-cell injection in his balky elbow during the offseason. He threw six innings against minor leaguers in Fort Myers yesterday. If he isn’t ready to pitch Sunday, Kyle Kendrick likely will get the start.
“There was an uptick in overall stuff, so it was an encouraging day for him,” Farrell said. “We have yet to discuss what the next step is. But for what he set out to do work-wise, he was able to accomplish that.”