Price, rotation takes a big hit
Already without their No. 1 starter, the Red Sox lost their No. 2 man to an injury last night when David Price was struck in the left wrist by a line drive.
Price had been on a roll in his previous six starts until this one, when he was pitching an unremarkable game against the Marlins on the hottest Aug. 29 in Boston history.
He had allowed three runs with more traffic on the basepaths in the third inning when Austin Dean smoked a comebacker toward Price’s head at 102 mph. Price threw both of his hands up to protect himself and the ball hit him in the left wrist, bouncing toward first base.
Price looked stunned for a moment, then ran to first to cover and record the final out of the inning, before heading down the dugout steps to the Sox clubhouse.
He did not return, though the Red Sox stormed back with an 11-run seventh inning and won, 14-6.
“I knew it hit me flush and it caught bone,” Price said. “I knew it was hit hard. I knew it went to my left. So, I wanted to get that out.
‘I think it will be all right. I’ve been hit a couple times this year. I think I’ll be OK.”
Price was diagnosed with a left wrist contusion and Xrays were negative, though the Red Sox said further testing was possible.
Price was wearing a soft brace after the game, but didn’t know if he would make his next start.
“I’m just taking it day by day, see where it’s at tomorrow,” he said. “If it feels good enough to put a ball in it, we’ll do it. If not, we’ll just take it day by day.”
Hector Velazquez, who has been filling in for injured starter Chris Sale and gave up eight runs to the Rays five days earlier, had to warm up quickly before he replaced Price to start the fourth inning. Velazquez went three innings and gave up two runs.
If Price isn’t ready to pitch again in five days, the Sox might be in some trouble.
“The way he’s been throwing the ball obviously, it sucks to see that,” manager Alex Cora said. “But we’ve been going through this the whole season . . . . We expect him to pitch. I do believe that’s going to happen. We’ll see how it goes. In the meantime, today Hector did a good job.”
Price has been the only bright spot in a rotation that has just one quality start in the last 10 games, and that was from Price, who threw eight shutout innings in a gem against the Indians last week.
Sale catches up
Sale played catch from 120 feet before the game but the Red Sox still are unsure when he’ll be ready to start building up toward a return from left shoulder inflammation.
“Obviously there’s a buildup toward all this,” Cora said. “If it’s five or six days of playing catch and then we’ll go from there.”
The compounding injury concerns are relieved some by the pending return of Eduardo Rodriguez from an ankle injury. Rodriguez pitched well in two rehab starts with Double-A
Portland and will make his next start for the Red Sox on Saturday against the White Sox.
Drew Pomeranz has been in the bullpen since the first week in August, though he did throw 73 pitches in his last relief outing while holding the Rays to just two runs in four innings. Knuckleballer Steven
Wright is expected to be activated from the disabled list and added to the bullpen when rosters expand Saturday.
Cora said a “big group” of players will join the team along with Wright as the Red Sox look to take advantage of a bigger roster.
Kimbrel struggles
Craig Kimbrel is walking 4.2 batters per nine innings, one of the worst rates of his career, and he’s giving up 1.2 home runs per nine innings, the highest rate of his career.
Kimbrel still is throwing hard, averaging 97.5 mph on his fastball this year, but Cora thinks it’s the curveball that’s been an issue.
“I think everything is location,” Cora said. “I mentioned a few weeks ago that it seems like the breaking ball . . . they see it right away, for some reason . . . . When he has velocity and has that pitch going, then as a hitter, it’s not that you pick one of them but it’s almost unhittable. But when he doesn’t have the breaking ball, then you can stay on the fastball.”
Spring slate set
The Red Sox released their spring training schedule for next year. They will begin Feb. 22 against Northeastern. It will not be a doubleheader with Boston College, unlike past years when the Sox would play two seveninning games in one day to open their schedule.
The Yankees will visit Fort Myers once, on Feb.23, and the Sox will travel north to Tampa to play the Yankees on March 15. They’ll finish the spring on the other side of the country for two games against the Cubs in Arizona on March 25-26 . . . .
Ryan Brasier (foot injury) was feeling better, throwing an inning of relief and allowing a solo homer to Dean . . . .
Rafael Devers (hamstring) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Pawtucket last night and went 1-for-3 with a double . . . .
The Sox are 11-3 against the National League this year and 22-4 in their last 26 interleague games.