Price in prime position
Lefty gets chance at sweep
The spotlight and the storyline always seem to shine on David Price.
Tonight, with a four-game sweep of the Yankees on the line, is no different.
The odds do not appear to be in favor of Price, that’s for sure.
The left-hander was hammered by the Yankees the first time he faced them this year in April (one inning, three hits, four runs) and it was just as bad last month (31⁄3 innings, nine hits, eight runs).
His career mark against the Yankees is 15-13 with a 4.90 ERA.
The track record, like Price’s postseason results as a starter, is not an encouraging one.
Yet Red Sox manager Alex Cora had no qualms about scheduling him to start the final game of another allimportant series against the Yankees.
“Because, I mean, David Price is a good pitcher,” said Cora before the Red Sox’ 4-1 victory yesterday. “I read a quote, I think Jon Lester talked about it, there’s a lot of good pitchers out there that kind of like, they say, ‘Hey man, that happens.’ There’s only one team that you think they’re going to get you all the time, whatever, and then all of a sudden you start pitching well against them. So he’s going to keep pitching. We need this guy to pitch well. He’s been doing it the whole season. You take the two starts, probably, against them, and it’s an outstanding season. So he’ll be fine. We trust this guy.”
After his start on July 1 in the Bronx, Price began to tinker with his mechanics. The tweaking did not take hold the first time out, but in his last three starts, he has been in a better groove: 2-0, 1.71 ERA, .228 batting average against.
“The way he’s pitching lately (gives me confidence in Price),” Cora said. “He talked about it right after that last one in New York. We feel he’s made some adjustments. I think the way he’s been pitching lately, going to the windup is one that I really like. You can see the tempo too. It’s a lot different lately. And obviously the pitch usage is a lot different.”
Renda given a shot
After Ian Kinsler strained his left hamstring Friday night, the Red Sox placed him on the 10-day disabled list, and called up 27-year-old, 5-foot8 infielder-outfielder Tony Renda. The Red Sox signed Renda in late April to a free agent deal, and he has split the season between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Pawtucket, hitting .353 with five home runs and 24 RBI in 47 games.
“This is an incredible team, this is the best team in baseball and I’m going to play hard and give it everything I have and in the end I think that’ll help,” said Renda, who played 32 games with the Reds two seasons ago. “There’s just a way these guys play the game, they’re never out of the fight, they’ve got a ton of talent and they play hard.”
Cora said infielder Tzu-Wei Lin was the club’s first choice to replace Kinsler but he is banged up.
Cora said Renda is “very similar to Brock (Holt) as far as his game, but from the right-hand side. He’ll grind out at-bats, good defender, versatility, we can play him in the outfield, too.
“He’s been swinging the bat well and if he has to play, we’re comfortable with him playing.”
Brandon Phillips was also an option, but since Kinsler’s layoff is expected to be short, that would mean the veteran second baseman would have to be exposed to waivers when he was sent down.
Remember 2013?
The last time the Red Sox held an 81⁄2-game lead in the AL East was in September 2013 . .. . The 78-34 Red Sox have never amassed this many victories through their first 112 games. Their 41-15 home record is the best in baseball and the pitching staff ’s ERA since the All-Star break is 2.44 . . . .
Taking into account Friday’s shutout, the Red Sox held the Yankees to one or zero runs in consecutive games for the first time since 2013 . ...
Newcomer Nathan Eovaldi is now the 11th pitcher since 1961 to have started a game for the Yankees against the Red Sox and for the Red Sox against the Yankees.
Injuries piling up
In the last three weeks, the Red Sox have put five players — Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle), Rafael Devers (hamstring), Chris Sale (shoulder), Blake Swihart (hamstring) and now Kinsler — on the DL.
“I’m not concerned, I think we’re a deep ballclub,” said Cora. “It seems like somebody goes down, the next guy will show up and play well for us. We’ve been going through this the whole season so it’s not like this is something new for us. Like I said yesterday, we prepare and we go out there and we play and turn the page. It’s not perfect, I wish everybody was healthy. But at the same time, we understand that over 162 games, this is going to happen. It’s happened a lot lately, it sucks, but we’re comfortable with the guys we’re playing.” . . .
Cora said Dustin Pedroia made sure to reach out after Friday night’s game.
“He texted me yesterday, ‘Congratulations on your first ejection,’” said Cora.